Far Away
by frodosbaggin
Summary: Sequel to How You Found Me. Jason and Tommy are married and living happy, normal lives. That is, until they are pulled into an alternate universe. An evil sorceress is after the Zeo Power. Jason and Tommy thought the Power had left them, but that is far from the truth. Split apart, they must fight to reunite. . . and fight to keep their union from tearing everything apart
1. Normal Is As Normal Does

**Far Away**

**Author's Notes:**

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, Zeo Rangers, merely borrowing the characters and taking them along for my own creative story telling.

Rated: M for strong language, violence, some sexual situations, and adult themes (this is a slash fic).

This is a sequel to How You Found Me. Unlike How You Found Me, Far Away is not a series of different episodes woven into one story. This is one plot, derived from my own imagination and is an original idea. Jason and Tommy find themselves pulled into an alternate universe due to their ties with the Zeo power. If you have not read How You Found Me, I recommend it, as this story may not be the easiest to follow if you don't have previous knowledge to what these characters have gone through.

I had a posting schedule for my previous story, but I do not have one set up this time around. I ask for your patience to bear with me, because I have decided to begin posting this before I have it completely written and finished. It's outlined and I know what I plan to have happen, but life is what it is, and the time I wish I could devote solely for writing isn't there. Therefore, please select to follow this story so you can be informed when a new chapter has been added.

I hope you guys enjoy the continuing adventure of Tommy and Jason in their married life together. This is a fun couple to put through emotional hell :)

A personal thank you to **sz2000** for the push for a sequel, and to **AmaranthShade** for encouraging and being my fabulous beta reader. My dear, you are Freaky Awesome XD

I deeply enjoy feedback and hearing what your thoughts are on the story as it progresses. Happy Reading!

* * *

**Chapter 1: Normal Is As Normal Does**

Jason crouched low and stilled his breathing. He tried his best not to make a sound. If he was heard, his cover was completely blown. He may not be a Power Ranger anymore, but he could still perform Operation: Stealth.

Taking the smallest of breaths, Jason took his position and aimed carefully. It had to be just right. He wasn't too worried about missing, though. He still had what it took. He knew it. He could _feel_ it.

His arms needed to raise up just a hair further. . . _there_.

Stretching the rubber band the proper distance, Jason released his hold and heard the _twang_ of rubber sing through the air. It hit Tommy in the middle of his shoulder blades.

Soapy kitchen sink water exploded in great waves as the former Red Ranger jumped a mile high. The pot he had been washing whipped out of the water as he twirled around, instinctively holding it out in front of him to use as a weapon. His eyes were wide as saucers, searching wildly around for the intruder. Those pupils spotted Jason hiding around the hallway corner, whose face was red and straining. Laughter erupted from his husband.

Tommy's nostrils flared. He pointed the pot threateningly at his husband, sending more sudsy water flying. "Damnit, Jason!" he yelled. "Quit doing that!"

Jason was heedless to the danger in those words, laughing hard enough to collapse on the floor in a heap, clutching at his chest for air. He snorted in oxygen and continued in his hysterical fit, reveling in a successful mission of scaring the hell out of Tommy.

Tommy glared balefully at his husband's complete lack of sobriety. Fine. If that was how he wanted to play things. . .

Turning around, Tommy scooped up a pot full of water and casually began walking toward Jason, who was laughing too hard to notice the red flags until they were mere feet away.

"Oh shit!" Jason swore, his wide smile shrinking down to a grin as he scrambled desperately to his feet. He managed a few steps away, attempting sanctuary toward their bedroom before the water splashed all along his backside, making him cry out, "Ahh!"

Tommy grinned triumphantly. "Gotcha!"

That wasn't the end of it, though. Jason still ran on, throwing open their bedroom door and attempting to close it swiftly behind him, but Tommy never stopped his pursuit. His foot lodged into the doorframe, and he threw his weight against the door, dropping the pot and pushing back against Jason's muscle power.

"You are so dead!" Tommy yelled out.

Jason's response was strangled laughter.

Tommy gritted his teeth and pushed. The door inched forward slightly. He dug his heels in and applied more force. Suddenly he was weightless and thrown forward, inertia propelling him far into the bedroom, the door instantly giving up the fight.

"Whoa!" Tommy cried out, tripping over his feet as gravity pulled his weight onward. Jason tried to quickly skirt by and run out, but Tommy threw his hands out and grabbed onto his husband's arm with lightning quick reflexes. Jason fought against the hold, and it was what prevented Tommy from taking a nose dive to the floor.

He tugged on Jason's arm. "Come here, you!" He threw his arm around Jason's neck and placed his annoying beloved in a choke hold, taking his other hand and vigorously running his knuckles over Jason's hair, giving him what was known as a noogie.

"Nooo!" Jason cried out, wriggling around and fighting Tommy's hold. He grabbed his husband's torso and lifted, lurching forward so Tommy was flipped through the air where he landed on the floor, flat on his back with a soft "oof!"

The choke hold relaxed, allowing Jason to slip out of it, but Tommy grabbed onto Jason's arm and pulled him down. A wrestling match of sorts ensued, with both partners trying to best the other. Arms and legs tangled over each other, moving furiously. Despite the verbal threats they were issuing back and forth, there was no heated anger in their brawl. Just heated. . . something _else_.

After a good few minutes of rivalry, Jason managed to pin Tommy to the ground, leaning his entire weight on his husband's upper body. Tommy struggled meakly, but there was suddenly something about the position that rendered him with a quickening desire not to try and rescue himself. He surrendered to Jason's triumphant call.

"Ha- HA! I've got you!" Jason panted out heavily, a broad grin showing all of those gorgeous white teeth. Beads of sweat stuck out on his brow. A few trickled down the side of his temple, forging a path that traveled down and caught his jaw line, traveling forward along it. . .

Tommy's chest heaved up and down, his breath intermingling with Jason's. He wasn't struggling anymore and was actually quite still, but his heart beat was _not_ slowing down. He looked up into those warm chocolate brownie eyes and watched the swirls of honey dance around inside, those irises celebrating a joyous victory.

"Yeah Sunshine," Tommy breathed out in a raspy voice, his lips setting into a crooked smile. "You've got me."

Something shifted in Jason's eyes as he continued to stare at his husband. Tommy could see the pupils dilate. Those fingers twitched and flexed.

"What are you gonna do with me?" Tommy asked, feeling heat flush his cheeks.

Jason lowered his head a few inches, still panting. The grin on his face had faded to a mere shadow. He had some serious smolder going on, creating an intense look that was causing heat to rise in _other_ places inside of Tommy.

"I think I'm going to ravage you," Jason replied huskily.

With that, he descended quickly onto Tommy's lips, planting his mouth firmly onto Tommy's and kissing him with rough passion.

Eyes closed, mouths parted, and tongues joined and danced around each other. Their hot breath mingled and created an inferno of desire that sparked and traveled down electric nerve paths like a trip wire of dynamite.

Tommy groaned into Jason's mouth and jerked his hips forward, pressing into Jason. His husband responded with a ragged moan and pressed back, gyrating in small movements, bringing his hands up so they were grabbing the back of Tommy's head and shoving a handful of hair into those palms, running his fingers through them.

Tommy reached for Jason's drenched black shirt and lifted it upwards, breaking the kiss and forcing Jason to unclasp his grasp of hair so the article of clothing could slide through the arms and come off completely. Mouths re-emerged, while Tommy fumbled to undo Jason's pants. Why did buttons have to be _so_ damn hard to work through that stupid hole? He struggled with impatient urgency while Jason moved and kissed along his jawline, on up to the earlobe and began suckling. . .

Tommy moaned and arched his back. Jason knew that was a highly erogenous area.

That damn button!

"Oh my god, I swear I hate your pants," Tommy breathed out in a ragged voice that was filled with desire. Jason only chuckled and suckled harder, lifting his hips up so Tommy had more space to work with.

Finally he was able to coax the button through the hole, where the zipper easily slid down. While grabbing at the underwear, Tommy sat himself up, coaxing Jason away from his earlobe and worked everything down. Jason grabbed at the rest and pulled it all off while Tommy worked at pulling his own clothing up and away.

Both men were now staring at each other, eyes roaming over all of the exposed flesh and the desire that was springing forward. Jason lunged at Tommy, forcing him back down on his back against the carpeted floor of their bedroom, assaulting his mouth with passion and hunger. Those hands trailed downward, sliding under their pressed bodies until Jason was caressing his husband's member, stroking it firmly but gently. Tommy dug his fingers into Jason's back, squeezing his eyes shut in white hot pleasure.

Jason released his assault on Tommy's mouth and started to trail kisses down his neck, down his collar bone, down his torso, and going lower. . .

"No," Tommy said through a hazy fog of desire.

Jason stopped quizzically, looking up into those dark chocolate eyes.

"Inside," Tommy explained breathily. "I want you inside."

Jason's mouth turned into a grin. He moved himself back upward, trailing kisses along the flesh as he ascended. He spread Tommy's legs apart, and lifted himself, positioning so his member was at the entrance to Tommy's hole. He procured a wad of saliva that he aimed at Tommy's entrance and slowly massaged in the moisture with his fingers, teasing and arousing his lover. He pressed forward ever so slightly before stopping.

"This is what you want?" Jason asked with a crooked smile, teasing his husband.

Tommy looked into those eyes. Many couples avoided eye contact during intercourse, but such was not the case with Jason. He needed the eye contact. It grounded him. It told him that this time, _this_ moment was about love. There was nothing to fear. No one but Tommy was there, and no one but Tommy would ever be.

Jason had been brutally tortured and raped countless times by Goldar over two years ago. His virginity had been stolen from him. So had Tommy's. When the old Green Ranger was under Rita's evil spell, she had desired him. And, as the spell warranted, he was designed to please her. And please her he did.

Not that Tommy's experience even remotely came close to a comparison with Jason's. Still, both of them had been through hell and back. Together. Through those scarring experiences, they had found each other. Confided in one another.

And found a world of love they still couldn't fathom existed.

But they tried to. They had pledged to take that journey of love every day together. Five months of marriage, and they were making sure to treasure every second of it.

The man who was staring into Tommy's eyes and looking at him with a world full of love and trust and confidence. . . this was what love was capable of. Overcoming all odds and evil demons of the mind and soul. It was remarkable. Jason was remarkable. He was everything Tommy could ever hope to have found.

"Babe?" Jason asked, bringing Tommy back to his senses. Jason pressed into him the smallest fraction. Ohhh, back to _those_ senses.

"Yes!" Tommy breathed, arching his back. "Oh, there, Sunshine. I want you there."

Jason smiled, those gorgeous teeth showing. "Then prepare to be thoroughly ravaged." He pressed until he was deep inside.

Tommy moaned.

* * *

Morning rays of sunshine filtered through the bedroom curtains. The sun had been up and greeting the couple for hours, but they slumbered on, happily luxuriating in the feel of a day off and in each other's arms. Lovemaking had lasted far into the evening, thoroughly satiating both lovers.

Suddenly the phone rang through, making Jason jump with instinctive reflexes of coiling into the confines of Tommy's body.

Tommy's head snapped up, jolting him awake. He squeezed Jason's shoulder. "Jase, 'sall right," he said sleepily. He released his hold and reached up, fumbling around for the receiver as it continued in its incessant ringing. Finally he succeeded in grabbing a hold of it. He placed it up to his ear, using his other arm to hold Jason. Small moments of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, or PTSD, weren't uncommon for Jason to emit. This was one such instance.

"Hello?" Tommy answered groggily. He listened in silence as the voice chattered away on the other end. He let out a yawn. "Yeah, i's okay Midge," he replied with sleep slurred speech, then listened some more. "I know, I believe you. I. . .," pause. "Mmm-hmm. It's okay, go home. I can come in and. . . I promise, being sick isn't going to count against you. Go home and rest up. I'll. . . Midge? Were you just about to throw up?" Jason, who was now calm and had sense of his bearings, twisted up and stared into Tommy's concerned expression. "Okay, really, please find someone to take you home right away. It's okay. I'll be there soon. . . yes, you have my permission to leave right now. Get feeling better, okay?"

With that, Tommy hung up the phone and rubbed his hand over his sleepy eyes.

Jason frowned. "No day off after all, huh?"

Tommy shook his head. "Guess not. Midge has got the flu or something. Needs to go home."

Jason nodded. "I figured as much. She seemed concerned about leaving?"

Tommy's mouth pulled up in an exasperated grin. He let out a short laugh. "Yeah, I think more concerned about that than actually being sick," he confirmed. "She kept rambling on about feeling horrible for calling and asking to go. Didn't want that to reflect poorly on her record since we just made her a new manager."

Jason nodded. "She's a good kid. Has a good heart."

"Yup," Tommy agreed, sighing. He gave Jason a kiss on his head and then regretfully left the comfort of their bed to get ready.

Shortly after coming back from their honeymoon, Tommy and Jason had received grave news from their former boss, Ernie. He'd had a heart attack. He had survived it, but his health had taken a drastic turn. Not able to return to work, he had asked for Jason and Tommy to help run the Juice Bar and Gym in his absence. They had agreed, but little did they know that it would result in them taking over ownership of the business. A week later Ernie suffered a stroke. He had survived, but it rendered his left side paralyzed, and he was unable to speak. He'd had just enough time, and _lots_ of handwritten papers asking Jason and Tommy to take over the gym. Dumbfounded and struggling to come to terms with the fact that their boss and dear friend had suffered such a life altering circumstance and was, in essence, getting his last affairs in order. He had no one to pass on his business to, and there wasn't anyone he trusted more than Tommy and Jason. It was the last thing they ever expected, and yet, somehow, it felt like the right decision to say yes.

Lawyers were brought in. Lots and lots of paperwork and documents were signed, and Jason and Tommy were made owners of the newly formed Youth Center.

A month later Ernie passed away.

It was heart breaking. He was such a kind and wonderful man with a huge heart. The Zeo Rangers, though retired and not in need of protecting Angel Grove, made a special appearance at his funeral.

Jason and Tommy's newfound business had a huge learning curve they were still trying to figure out how to manage. One thing was for sure, they needed someone to help them manage. That was where Midge came in. In all technicality, she was the same age as Tommy, and just a few months younger than Jason. Her appearance was young, and Jason teased her about it, hence why he referred to her as a kid. But she had a bachelor's degree in business, and stood out as one of the best candidates to help them manage the business side of something they knew nothing about.

Karate, they knew. Teaching pupils how to defend themselves, they knew. Fighting monsters and villains they _definitely_ knew. But operating an entire business was a whole other level.

And it looked like the flu was going to push back the learning curve yet another week.

Such was life.

One thing was for sure, they didn't find themselves with lack of boredom since their Power Ranger days appeared to be over. Not that the Zeo power was completely gone from either of them. At times it sparked and glowed in their palms still. But it didn't rear back to life. And there was no need for it to.

The Machine Empire was gone. Rita was gone. Lord Zedd and Goldar were dead. Earth was enjoying peace from intergalactic threats.

Jason sighed and got out of bed. He made his way over to his closet. Tommy shot him a quizzical look that read 'what are you doing?'

Jason shrugged. "I figured I would come in too. Help cover the place with you."

Tommy's mouth pulled into a reluctant grin. "Jase, you don't have to. Really. One of us should have a day off at least."

Again, Jason shrugged, reaching into his closet for some clothes. Tommy stepped in front of his husband, blocking the closet and folding him into an embrace. He placed a soft kiss on those luscious lips, giving just enough heat to it that when he pulled away, Jason was trying to claim another one.

"I'd love it if my husband dropped by later today with dinner that we could eat together on _my_ break, hmm?" Tommy suggested, smiling coyly.

Jason huffed out a breathy laugh. "Why don't you want me coming in with you today?"

"Because I doubt Midge will be feeling better by tomorrow, and then _you_ get to go in, and _I _can have a day off," he explained.

Jason frowned slightly, realizing the truth in that statement. "Damn."

Tommy smirked. "Yup. See? A day off is sounding decent after all, hmm?"

Jason pulled a small grin and raised an eyebrow. "Dinner for _me_ tomorrow if you get dinner today?"

Tommy planted another sensual kiss. "Mmm-hmm."

* * *

Jason stood in the master bathroom, giving himself one last look-over in the mirror. Yup, he looked good. He was wearing a black button up short sleeved t-shirt with black embroidery to give it texture and design, and blue denim jeans. He was wearing a flat banded gold choker necklace that Tommy had given him on their one month anniversary of being married. It hung around the hollow of his throat, just above his collarbone. Tommy loved it on him. He wore it every day.

Smiling at his reflection in the mirror, Jason was satisfied at the ogling he knew he was sure to get from his husband when he came to bring dinner. A freshly showered, groomed husband holding a Subway bag with some foot-longs?

Hell yeah.

It was Tommy's favorite fast food place.

Jason exited out the door, leaving their bedroom and grabbed his shoes at the landing to their front door. After putting them on, he went to reach for his wallet and keys on the kitchen table when the sensation hit him.

Red hot needles instantly prickled his blood, sending it to a roaring boil. Jason gasped against the sudden sensation. It felt like a hook had stabbed into his gut and was yanking at him from inside, yet there was nothing physically present to suggest such a notion. Pressure started to bear down on him, like there were invisible walls that boxed him into an instant pressure cooker. Jason tried to take a breath, but the action only elicited room for more compression to crash into his chest cavity.

It was staggering.

What was happening?

Jason tried to move but found himself frozen in place, that fisher's hook driving itself deeper into him and pulling with fierce determination. He wanted to groan out with pain, but there was too much pressure colliding into him for sound to emit.

Darkness started to enter at the corner of his vision. It grew until it enveloped his entire eyesight. He felt his feet suddenly leave the ground, and he was propelled helplessly forward toward a lure that answered to the pressure that surrounded him. Wind roared in his ears. He saw nothing but blackness.


	2. This Isn't Kansas Anymore

**Author's Notes:**

sz2000: *grins* Glad you are liking it! The playfulness of Tommy and Jason is inspired by my older two brothers, who love to play pranks on each other. They are hiliarous people. I knew it would be sad to kill Ernie off, but there is no further need for his character, and because I knew of his actual death taking place around the same time, I found a way to make it fit into the story.

TKfanatic: Subway is awesome! I figured for guys who were really into martial arts, healthier food is what they would prefer to eat to help keep their bodies in good condition. Subway fits the bill!

xxSt0Rm3yyxx: Thank you! I'm glad to know it transitioned well. That's great feedback.

Ghostwriter: I do love cliffhangers!

AmaranthShade: *does the super freak dance* Super freak, super freak, we're super freakayyy!

And now, onto the show...

* * *

**Chapter 2: This Isn't Kansas Anymore**

It felt like longer, but the sensation lasted only a mere few seconds before Jason's feet landed roughly on solid ground and the world opened back up to his eyes. He was knocked into something and fell forward, belligerently thrown off balance.

Stone floor smacked sharply against his right hip as he fell. Reaching his hands out instinctively, his elbows caught the floor and padded the fall to some extent.

Extremely disoriented and scared half out of his mind, Jason scrambled to get back up to his feet. He stumbled forward and fell against a row of bookshelves that leaned against a wall.

Wait, bookshelves? What?

Staring around, Jason saw that he was in a large room. Rows and rows of bookshelves lined along each wall. However, for the moment, that was the current extent of his ability to take in his surroundings. The extreme pressure in his chest had lessened, but it was still there. He was at least able to breathe, which he thankfully took advantage of in several deep gulps. He leaned his weight against the shelf, feeling like his body had just been hurled through a tiny crack in the wall from the fiercest tornado he'd ever encountered.

"What the hell?" he asked out loud to no one in particular but himself. He was definitely _not_ in his apartment anymore by the looks of things. Why? _How_?

"Who the hell are you?!" came a seething voice to his left.

Jason turned his head and saw a woman getting up to her feet, her hands balled in tight fists. She wore a midnight blue dress that showed a healthy amount of bare skin at her chest, revealing a swelling of the breasts that were pushed up from a brazier. Just above the show of cleavage rested an oval sapphire pendant necklace. Light blond hair was pulled up in an intricate crown of braids that adorned her head. Her fair skin radiated, contrasting against the dark hue of her dress.

Her eyes, though were riveting.

They were crystal blue, as clear and bright as the tropical water of some exotic beach. And they were glaring daggers at Jason. Her face was contorted in fury. Judging by her reaction, she must've been what he knocked into when he arrived. . . wherever he was.

"Jason," he said in response to her query. "Who are _you?_"

"Why are _you_ here?" she growled, ignoring his question. Her features were stunning. A beautiful woman in her prime. . . that is, when her features weren't screwed up into a grotesque display of fierce anger.

Right now, she looked horrifying.

"I have no idea," he replied, watching her with trepidation. "Where am I?"

She stared at him, ignoring his question. Her features changed into dawning suspicion. "Do you possess the Zeo Power?"

Jason's eyes widened in shock. His heart started hammering away. "Not anymore," he answered cautiously. "How do you know about the Zeo power?"

Those lips curled into a sneer. "Because I summoned it and _you're_ here in its place! You lie to me!" she growled.

Jason's eyebrows rose higher. "You _summoned_ it? Why?"

Those clear blue eyes darkened. "That's none of your concern! Why do you possess the power? Tell me!"

Jason shook his head slowly, completely confused. "Sorry lady, but whatever you're thinking, I don't possess anything. Not anymore."

That's when the thought suddenly occurred to him. Was that really true? He'd given the Gold Zeo powers back to Trey, but he'd been brought back to life by Tommy's Red Power. Save for a small surge of energy between his and Tommy's joined hands now and then, the Zeo powers hadn't manifested themselves at all. For all intents and purposes, they had both believed their powers to be gone. Was that really true?

The woman must have seen the doubt cross Jason's eyes, because her mouth quirked upwards in smug fashion. "Yes you do." She took a few steps forward. Jason tensed. "I don't get many things wrong. . . Jason, was it?"

The former Ranger remained mute, watching her advancements with extreme caution. Warning bells were blaring inside his head.

The woman raised her head up, pointing her nose in the air and drawing in one long breath through her nostrils. "I can _smell_ it," she continued.

She closed her eyes as she stopped within a foot of Jason. He quickly glanced around the room for a means of escape. At the far corner stood a tall oak door. It was the only one in the room. He looked back at the woman. She was fairly tall. She stood head to head with him. He leaned back against the bookcase as far as he could when she raised her arms and spread her fingers toward him, but she halted their ascent. They remained inches away from him.

"I can _feel_ it," the woman breathed out in a husky voice, her eyes opening to look at him. Currents of black liquid flowed in them, crossing the milky white of the eyeball and over the cornea and iris. That pressure inside of Jason's chest flared up, intensifying into a shock wave of pulsing life. It pulled inside of him, much like the Golden power when it was yearning to release itself as his body was losing the ability to wield it.

"Why did you summon the Zeo power?" Jason all but whispered, readying his legs to take off at the slightest advancement she attempted to make.

That mouth curled into a look of possessive loathing as those sapphire eyes of black horror bore into him. "Because _I_ _want_ _it_!"

He was already sliding away and making a dash for it when she reached out for him. Her fingers closed onto his right forearm, but he shook her off. The pressure in his chest screamed as he furthered his distance from her, urging Jason to turn around and go back.

No way in hell was he going to listen to that feeling.

"_GET BACK HERE!"_ the woman screeched. The sound was hardly human. It resembled more of an eagle's shrill cry of rage when its food had escaped its clutches.

He ran for the oak door and threw it open. Two guards dressed in red and black attire stood sentry, jostled to active attention upon hearing the woman's scream. They reached for their sword holsters but Jason was already blowing past them.

He was in a large palace of sorts with white marbled halls that gleamed with a polish glow. It was a vastly different look from the room he just came from. However, all he was really concerned with was getting away from someone he felt sure meant him harm. Turning right was the only option he had available to him. Up ahead, the hallway yielded to a stone wall, intersecting with a corridor that bore left and right. He had to hope he could reach those options. More guards dotted themselves between here and there. And they were all looking at him.

Jason gritted his teeth and charged forward. Vaguely he was reminded of his recent fall on his hip, but the pain was inconsequential and far away. He reached the first two guards who attempted to bar his path, but he leaped into the air and landed a jump kick straight into one guard, who toppled into the other one. They both fell to the floor in a heap.

Two down, more to go.

The others weren't as easy to tackle. The two that had stood at the door were hot on his heels, followed by six others who were running towards him.

It was a damn good thing he was a double black belt, even before becoming a Power Ranger.

With a series of charges and attacks, Jason jumped and spun and deflected his way through each opponent who came up against him. His mission was more to stun than to do any kind of serious damage. He had no idea where he was, but it was obvious that it wasn't going to be friendly territory.

His mission was to get out of this place and get to somewhere isolated. He could figure the rest out later.

Two more went down.

Swords were now drawn. Jason slid away as one guard bore down with the extracted weapon. The bladed tip nicked his thigh. He spun in a blur of speed that would have been impressive even with his powers, knocking into the guard while grabbing onto his wrist and stealing away the blade.

Now armed, Jason was able to defend the attacks a little bit better, but unfortunately, he realized he was far less skilled as a swordsmen compared to the rest of his opponents.

"_I WANT HIM ALIVE!" _ The woman screamed from behind, emerging from the room Jason had fled from.

The guards hesitated for the briefest second, realizing their new objective wasn't to kill.

It was all the time Jason needed. He shot past them all, running to the end of the hallway where he made a quick decision to bear left. He took two more steps and –

BAM.

For a moment Jason stood there, stunned. He was thrown back a few steps, but caught his footing and kept himself upright. Staring dumbly, Jason tried to make sense of what he was looking at. It _felt_ like he had run into a wall, but directly in front of him, at eye level, he was looking at a very large hip.

A hip?

Looking up, _far_ up, Jason found himself staring into the face of a. . .

Holy hell!

A troll?

Out of all of the monsters and villains he'd ever come across, Jason had never come across a troll.

_Man_ the creature was huge! He was at least twelve feet tall.

And he looked down at Jason with a very aggravated expression.

The troll yelled, loud and fierce. Instinctively Jason raised his sword to block and defend. He didn't end up doing either. The Troll grabbed at Jason's arm and pulled. The weapon fell deftly, clattering to the floor.

Jason was heaved upward, his feet leaving the air. He flailed and kicked, but it was like trying to fight against a tree trunk.

The tree trunk was winning.

Pain sensors slammed into his feet and legs. The troll let out another yell. It sounded annoyed.

Jason was flung out and away from the Troll's body, as if the creature realized it had picked up a very disgusting rag that was trying to swat at him.

Jason wriggled and tried to free his right hand from the troll's iron grasp, but he wasn't having any luck.

The folk creature seemed annoyed that the object in its hand was squirming, and shook it in irritation.

Jason gasped out loud, hearing the distinct _pop_ of his shoulder being dislodged from its socket.

_Damn,_ that hurt like a mother!

The troll got its wish of holding onto a very stationary, ungainly pest. Jason's body immediately went limp in an instinctive mode of self-protection, temporarily paralyzed by the pain that was shooting through it.

At this point all of the guards had their weapons drawn and were circled around Jason.

Shit.

Troll scored one up. Former Power Ranger: zero.

The blond haired woman brazenly strode through her entourage of soldiers. Her nostrils were flaring. Her eyes were crystal blue again, but Jason could've sworn he saw lightning flash from within.

"Hold it!" She ordered. She approached Jason so she was within inches of his dangling legs. Numerous swords raised themselves into the air, daring the former Ranger to retaliate.

Jason was trying to find a way to breathe. His stomach was contorted in a fierce knot of anguish. Even if he wanted to, struggle was not something that would have been wise in his current predicament. His arm was dangling like a rag doll held in the teeth of a _huge_ Troll.

The woman was sniffing the air loudly, closing her eyes and concentrating. "You're hurt," she muttered to herself. Those lids fluttered open. Their hue had changed again, matching the deep sapphire of her dress. "Put him down," she instructed.

Grunting with dismay, the troll dropped Jason without a further care. Jason bit back a groan as the impact of gravity smashed him onto a cold marble surface. Pain sensors shot up through his feet, and went off like gunfire to his dislocated shoulder. He bit back hard on a groan of anguish that wanted to escape his lips. His eyes rolled up into his head as he collapsed onto the floor, unable to fight the paralysis of torment overloading his nervous system.

He tensed as he felt a strong hand grab at his dislocated shoulder and pull.

_That_ succeeded in bringing a roar of anguish to his lips.

"AHHHH!"

It was more than just the physical touch of someone clutching bone and cartilage that made pain burst in bright spectacled lights inside of Jason's skull. The pressure inside of him also jumped alive. It inflamed like a lake of boiling lava from within. It was a red dragon of supreme strength, roaring to the call of something Jason didn't understand. He just knew frustration was building inside because the creature wasn't getting what it wanted. Was this the Zeo power trying to answer the summons of Crazy Woman, who was clinging onto his shoulder?

Vaguely Jason felt himself hurled to his feet. However, the warring battlefield of exploding pain in his shoulder, coupled with a very active ancient beast from within, was too strong inside for the veteran Ranger to keep himself upright. Instantly his legs buckled. Rough hands from behind caught him. Jason screamed out in tormented agony as Crazy Woman's hands cleaved harder onto his dislocated shoulder to try and hold him upright.

From far, far away, he heard Crazy Woman yell out, "Get the physician!" before he passed out into oblivion.

* * *

"AHHHHH!" Jason yelled out, his eyes fluttering open. There was a _pop_ as he felt with _excruciating_ pain his shoulder slammed back into place. "Holy _shit_," he cried out in a high pitched tone, going up in decibel on the last word. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and bit hard into his lip, breathing hard.

If he thought that was the end of a very rude wake up call, he was sorely mistaken. Whatever hands had popped his shoulder back in weren't done with their ministrations. For a moment they were very still and comfortingly warm. It almost felt. . . nice. Soothing.

Oh _hell_, he thought that too soon!

Jason emitted a high pitched squeal that settled into a deep growl. Those hands were applying firm pressure and rubbing in circles, catching his shoulder on fire with gyrating agony from the intense friction.

Adding to his further torment, a second set of hands grabbed at his head and pulled it upward. Caught by surprise, Jason's eyes flitted open. The image was blurry at first, but Crazy Woman's face slowly came into view. Those startling clear blue eyes had the rivers of black current flowing through them, and she was staring intently at him.

Jason's eyes locked onto hers, and for the life of him, he couldn't look away. The pressure inside of his chest roared like a restless animal, caged and fidgety and bursting for escape. Crazy Woman's mouth opened, and Jason found his mirroring the same gesture of its own accord. Breath was drawn, and fire erupted from within. Red streams of smoky substance began pouring out of Jason's mouth in thin, wispy amounts. They flowed into Crazy Woman's opened jaws. Her expression seemed starved and needy for the elements.

It was like reliving the horror of the Golden Powers trying to take over Jason and use up his life's essence. Except this time around, someone else was siphoning it from him and seemingly the cause of such an event.

_The wisps of smoke were red_.

The Zeo power!

It still existed inside of Jason? As that thought struck him, the fierce fire exploding from within told him it was true.

The red dragon inside roared its delight at its summoning call.

No! This monstrous thing of a woman was attempting to take it from him.

_No!_ He didn't know how it was possible, how she was doing it, how he could even _stop_ it, but he just knew that he didn't want this to happen. He was helpless, though. Whatever this was, he couldn't find the willpower to close his mouth. He couldn't do anything except stare into eyes that had turned pitch black, absorbing the Zeo power as it leeched itself from his body.

No!

Quite suddenly, those wisps of red power thinned out and evaporated. They became nothing.

The woman held her mouth open, trying to draw in more, brows furrowed in sudden concern.

Nothing else came out. Jason's mouth closed. The fire inside still burned, but it too was subsiding.

It was still there, though. The Zeo power hadn't left. The red dragon closed its eyes, satiated.

Crazy Woman's hands crushed against Jason's face, those black eyes growing angry. "Nooo!" she cried out in an unearthly deep voice. He felt hands leave his shoulder, and realized he had no idea who they belonged to. For the moment, he didn't really care.

Except. . .

He realized that his shoulder was feeling fine. There wasn't any excruciating pain. What?

He didn't have time to dwell further on it, though.

The woman's hands abruptly left her clasp on Jason's head. He watched her warily. She stood up and backed away, apparently accepting that she could draw forth nothing more. Those eyes were still bottomless holes of black abyss, but at least they weren't staring at Jason anymore. They were looking around the room as she started to pace.

"This is magnificent," she breathed to herself.

Jason slumped down against arms that caught him. He felt weak and utterly drained. Looking feebly around, he saw that he was back in the room he had originally been pulled into. He craned his neck upward and stared in shock at the arms of his beholder. His mouth dropped open. A blond haired man with silver rimmed glasses stared down at him with assessing eyes.

"Billy? What are you doing here?" Jason croaked out.

Those blue spectacled eyes instantly frowned, and a spark of anger flared.

What was _that_ look for? "You live on Aquitar now. This can't actually be Aquitar, can it?" Jason asked. He felt a sharp pinch in his side. He winced.

The woman turned her head, black gates of night staring intently at him. "This is Earth." Those eyes then shifted and stared at Billy. Her head tilted to the side. "Do you know each other?" There was a note of warning in her voice.

Whatever emotion flickered on Billy's face vanished. Instead, his features were smooth and calm. He shook his head once. "No, my Lady. We have never met. He is delirious. How did you mention he arrived again?"

What? Billy was pretending not to know him? What the _hell_ was going on here?

Those black holes bore into Billy's face, assessing his words. "The details do not concern you, physician. If you two have never met, the name with which he addressed you by bears striking resemblance to your own. Billy is a nickname for William, is it not?"

Billy nodded solemnly. "You are correct, my Lady. However, it is a nickname I have never gone by. To any that know me, I am simply William. I could better assist the conundrum of his appearance were you to tell me how he arrived. You sought me out to attend to his injuries. That enabled you a measure of his power. I believe I can be of use to you and your quest."

Jason's stomach dropped. He couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. Never gone by Billy? Be of use to her and her quest? Billy was going to _help_ her get the Zeo powers? Something wasn't right here. He fought down the urge to yell at Billy, er, _William_, and remained silent. Information was what he needed most. It felt like William was fishing around for that as well. Could his friend be possibly on some sort of secret mission? Is that why the odd behavior?

For a long minute, the Lady remained quiet, staring at William, who calmly maintained eye contact. At last, she spoke quietly. "You were called here because you are my physician, not my advisor, understood?" It wasn't a question.

William nodded, his expression untroubled. It was apparent he was used to being addressed this way. That didn't seem right. "Yes, Lady Ravindra."

Crazy Woman, apparently known as Ravindra, closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, a deep sapphire hue peaked out among the black liquid current. Then it, too, slowly diminished.

"Lift him up," she demanded, motioning her guards toward Jason.

Their sudden movement toward Jason startled him. He had no idea any of them had been present until now. Rough hands instantly seized at his shoulders and lifted him up out of William's arms. Jason's legs threatened to buckle from underneath him, exhaustion suddenly infusing his entire being. Falling wasn't an option, though. The guards were making sure of that from the firm grip they had on him. They were doing a marvelous job at keeping him from meeting the floor, something his legs terribly wanted to do.

Hmm. . . Jason noted that his shoulder wasn't protesting any of these rough movements like it would have moments ago. How was that possible? Dislocated shoulders weren't supposed to heal that fast, right?

Ravindra stepped casually over until she was a foot away from Jason, staring at him with the regal impassivity of royalty. Her sapphire eyes shifted to his shoulder. She inclined her head. "How does it feel now?"

It wasn't an inquiry born out of any real concern or care. Nonetheless, she stood there, expecting an answer.

"It's. . . better," Jason replied slowly, cautiously. He tensed when she reached out a hand to touch his shoulder. He was too weak to resist much. When her hands touched, an electric hum of warmth sang under Jason's skin. The red dragon awoke, wagging its great tail. His eyes went wide with surprise.

Ravindra's mouth pulled into a smug smile. Her eyes danced with unnamed emotion. "Yes," she breathed out in an excited hush. "You feel it too. My spell worked. It calls to me. It yearns to be claimed by me." Her excited features then changed instantly into a scowl of contempt. "And _you _stand in my way!" She pushed angrily against Jason. He didn't move much, due to the tight grip the guards had on him.

"What kind of sorcerer are you to create such a bond that the power pulls _you_ along with it?" she continued on with a dark expression. "Mark my words, you _will_ give it up. You have clearly made paltry use of the Zeo power. I captured you far too easily."

Although physically weak and, moments ago, screaming in absolute agony, Jason's pride wasn't willing to let some arrogant bitch think she was the Queen of the world. She thought him weak?

Hell no!

His jaw tightened in anger as he whipped out a snarky retort to her haughty arrogance. "Paltry use? Ask Lord Zedd, Rita, Goldar, or King Mondo what _paltry_ use I made of the Zeo Power." He paused for a brief moment as her eyes narrowed. He smirked, then continued on. "Oh, that's right. You can't. They're _dead_. They were all big honchos trying to get a piece of Earth to conquer, but they failed. Go me."

Okay, he hadn't actually been the one to destroy King Mondo, and Rita's ultimate fate on planet Triforia was unknown to Jason, but Ravindra didn't need to know that.

A perfectly manicured eyebrow rose up in question. "Is that so?" she asked. It sounded more like a challenge. "You must command a larger piece of land than I for these beings to assault you rather than myself, for I've never heard of them." Her head tilted, regarding him shrewdly. "Strange that such news would not have come my way."

Jason had a feeling his pride had walked him right into a trap. _Shit_. She thought him a ruler? He shook his head. "I'm no ruler, Lady. I like to _prevent_ that kind of thing. Earth deserves to be free from _all_ tyranny."

Those sapphire eyes widened in surprise. Streaks of the crystal blue hue started to appear. It was _so_ strange to watch how her eyes changed color. "You're a crusader!" she breathed out in enthusiastic awe.

Jason's face clouded in confusion. "I don't think so, no. I've never been called that."

Those crystal blue chalices narrowed. "What do you call yourself, then?"

"Jason."

He never saw the blow that hit him, but he sure felt the heavy sting from it. His head whipped sharply to the left. Tears pinpricked at the corners. He blinked rapidly to clear them, grimacing.

"Do not think me stupid!" Ravindra snarled, her face hardening. "The Zeo power has bound itself to you. _You_ came when I summoned it for myself. There is a reason, and I believe you know it. Do not toy with me! One way or another, I _will_ draw the truth from you."

Jason's mouth hardened. "I don't _know_ why I came here," he ground out. "I don't even know where this place is, or who you are! It's news to _me_ that I possess the Zeo power lady."

"That's a lie. You know of it. You made up some concocted story of how you wielded it to destroy conquerors. You feel it within yourself, same as I do. There is more to this than you say."

Jason blew out a frustrated breath of air. He shifted his weight, which spurred the guards to tighten their grip on his arms. He glared at Ravindra. "I _used_ to carry the Zeo power, lady. I gave it up. It wasn't mine to command. It is _no one's_ to command."

That earned him another hard slap to the face. His right side was burning with fire.

"That's a _lie!_" Ravindra hissed, her voice dripping with fury. "You possess it! You know you do!"

"I didn't _know_ that I did until I showed up here!" Jason yelled out. "Nothing's happened for months! But if you're here to barge in and claim Earth, the Zeo power must have known that _can't_ happen and it's come back to life to fight _against_ that."

Those lips curled into revulsion. "I _summoned_ it, you pathetic fool! Power doesn't just _come back to life_. It gets called! _You_ were brought here because it is bound to its possessor! "

"Then I'll do everything I can to prevent it from going to your sorry ass! You are _not_ stealing the Zeo power," Jason vowed in a heated voice infused with passion. "It doesn't belong to you."

Those crystal blue eyes turned instantly to black fathomless depths. It swallowed up the whites of her eyes. Red infused lightning flashed from within.

In a deep, midnight voice that sent shivers down Jason's spine, Ravindra replied with deadly calm. "You forget that I already began."

Red sparks started to ignite from within her hands. A small ball of energy formed, which she promptly threw toward Jason.

He screamed out in agony.

"Earth has been mine for a while, weakling crusader," Ravindra replied in that midnight voice. "I _want_ what is mine!"

Jason's nervous system was alight with explosive fire. An electric surge of red lightning was sucker punching itself into Jason's gut. It felt like a livewire was attached to his stomach, sending bolt after bolt of extremely high voltage. How he wasn't dead yet, he had no idea.

After an unknown length of eternity, suddenly, _thankfully_, it stopped. Jason sagged, surrendering completely to the strength of the guards to keep him standing.

They did.

Their arms dug into him with bruising force.

"Drop him," Ravindra commanded.

Without word, they released their hold. Jason deftly fell to the stone floor in a crumpled heap of a mess. Pain shot to his knees when they impacted against the surface, but he hardly noticed. His system was still trying to reload from the electrical current that had previously tried to fry him alive from the inside out.

He heard a sharp intake of breath come from Ravindra. He glanced up in time to see her crystal blue eyes roll up into her head. She collapsed to the floor, her head slumping forward. A guard rushed to catch her, crying out. She remained motionless in his arms, apparently unconscious.

He didn't have time to wonder what had happened to her.

Blackness rushed into Jason's senses. A heavy blanket of iron weighed down on him, and for a long while, he knew nothing.

* * *

An ice cold torrent force blasted Jason's senses, propelling him into an instant state of awareness filled with coughing and hacking. Water had been poured over his face, filling his nose with burning fire. He gasped and wheezed and jerked upwards, but he found he couldn't move very far. He lay prostrate on some flat hard surface, his arms raised above his head and bound in chains that were held in place by something he couldn't see. They moved only a few inches. His feet, he found, were also bound in the same fashion. Something strapped itself across his hips. All he could really do was turn his head sideways and cough out the liquid that had invaded his breathing system. He felt hands gently but firmly place themselves at the sides of his head, providing a stabilizing force that padded against the hard surface as his body spasmed and convulsed.

Finally, _thankfully_, Jason's body was able to stabilize itself, and, taking small shallow breaths, he found he was at last able to breathe without his body protesting. His throat burned something fierce from the episode.

He felt those hands leave his head with gentle care. Looking up blearily, a body came into slow view. It was Billy, looking at him in a way he had never been looked at before. Like he was a new species that had just come back to life, and there was concern about what he would do.

They weren't the eyes of a friend who was glad to see someone. Two fingers reached at Jason's neck and pressed inward, checking for his pulse. A few seconds later they retracted.

"Billy?" Jason croaked out, his voice hoarse and weak.

Billy shook his head, frowning slightly. "William," he corrected.

Jason furrowed his brows. "Since when did you decide to go by William?"

The frown deepened. "Since when have I not?" he retorted in a calm but firm voice. Those blue spectacled eyes were gravely serious. "You put me at risk for addressing me thusly."

Jason's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?"

_William's_ expression was unreadable. "It's very informal. It inferences we have some kind of personal connection. We do not. We have not seen each other since childhood. And even then, I was called William."

Jason's bewilderment increased. "You said we never met."

"Yes, and I will deny it again if you ever try to tell her otherwise. We were childhood acquaintances from long ago, and that is best left forgotten, especially to the Lady."

"We're more than acquaintances."

"No, we are not. You are mistaken."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jason cried out, wincing against the fire in his throat, sorely reminded of the water he'd just choked half to death on. Still, he persisted in his argument. "You came to my wedding five months ago. We were Power Rangers together, man. You've _never_ gone by William. What the hell's going on?"

Those blue eyes narrowed, questioning and curious. Suddenly his fingers were at Jason's head, examining and probing. A light was shone in Jason's eye. "Did you hit your head very hard?" he inquired.

Jason squinted and turned his head away, aggravated. "No! I'm fine," he argued stubbornly. True, he was confused as all hell right now, but it wasn't due to any blunt head trauma that Billy, er, _William_, seemed to be examining him for. What did his friend mean, _hadn't seen each other since childhood? _Like hell they hadn't! Why was the veteran ranger acting so. . . different?

"What day is it?" William asked, ignoring Jason's insistence on feeling fine.

Jason glared at him. "I'm fine, _William_. No concussion here," he repeated through gritted teeth.

"Can you recall what you did this morning?" William continued on, ignoring the looks of anger Jason was giving him.

The former Gold Ranger huffed out a breath of irritation. It burned his throat, but he ignored the pain. He instinctively pulled down with his arms. They were getting a kink in them, but they protested further movement. The chains his wrists were bound in clanked loudly, a bedamned pest that furthered the odd predicament he found himself in. And here was Billy – William—seemingly unperturbed about the situation. What was going _on?_

Glaring daggers, Jason grudgingly acquiesced to the medical interrogation. "It was _supposed_ to be a day off for me and Tommy. But he got called in to work. I was about ready to pick up lunch to bring it to him when I suddenly wound up _here_ instead. Would you _please_ tell me where the HELL I am?!" he demanded.

Again, those spectacled eyes narrowed. "What place of work would that be?" he asked, ignoring the one burning question _no one_ was answering.

Jason's frustration was rising to anger. "The Youth Center, man! Ernie's old juice bar and gym! Tommy and I took over the business when he died. You know that! You couldn't come to the funeral, which was _three_ months ago the last time we spoke. You felt awful."

There was a pregnant pause as those blue eyes stared intently into Jason. His expression revealed none of his thoughts. "What's your name?" he asked softly.

Was there a flicker of recognition flashing behind those glasses? "Jason, dude. C'mon, you _know_ me," Jason pleaded.

William frowned slightly. "Not Jay?"

Jason shook his head. "No. I go by Jase, sometimes. But you've always called me Jason. Jason Lee Oliver-Scott is my full name. You've _got_ to remember!"

This reminded him way too much of when Tommy was captured by Prince Gasket and his husband's memory was wiped away with new, more foreboding ones. Was there some kind of brain drain machine at work here? Was Jason going to be subjected to it himself? But then, where were the cogs? The Machine Empire? That device belonged to them.

William seemed about ready to reply when there was the sound of a door opening. Belatedly, Jason looked up and, for the first time, took in his surroundings. It was a small, stark white room with white walls. There were countertops on both sides, housing different vials of bottles with different colors of liquids. There were a few strange looking instruments laying about, none of which Jason really knew their purpose. It seemed the only color the room had was the multitude of books that filled the bookshelves up above and the bottles of. . . whatever contents lay inside them.

In the far right corner of the room was the door, open and revealing three guards dressed in the same red and black attire he saw earlier. One of them strode into the room, approaching William. He briefly glanced at Jason, his expression impassive. He addressed William.

"Lady Ravindra has requested an update."

William looked steadily at the guard, calm and cool mannered. "He's of sound health. I've questioned him some. I have a few theories she may be interested in hearing that might explain this. . . situation."

_Theories? Situation?_ What did _that_ mean?

The guard nodded. "Good. She grows irate. May your theories appease her. She expects your presence. Go now. We'll take care of the prisoner. She expects him as well."

Without further word, William stepped aside, allowing the man access to Jason. There was no hesitation as the brainwashed ex-power-ranger-now-turned-physician exited the room. No looking back. No signs of emotional distress. Nothing.

Jason was on his own.

After William left, Guard Two and Three entered the room. Guard Two joined with Guard One, near Jason. They stood at both ends of the medical table and unhooked a device that had clamped down on Jason's chains at his hands and feet. The belt around his hip was unfastened, and he was more or less dumped onto the floor, his chained hands and feet held tight by the guards so that he was unable to do anything to pad the fall. He grimaced as his right hip slammed down against the surface. He bit back a groan. His arms were then yanked, and he was ungraciously hoisted up, Guard Two dropping his feet and sandwiching him between Guard One, both of them gripping his forearms with enough force to bruise.

Guard three had his sword drawn and aimed it defensively in front of Jason, his expression warning that any struggle would be unwise. His bottom lip was split open with dried cracked blood, and his left cheek was swollen and bruised. Based on the hardness in those eyes, Jason knew the injuries were born from the fight that brought the former Gold Ranger here. He, Jason, had inflicted those wounds. And judging by how dangerously close the tip of that blade hovered to him, Guard Three was very, very upset.

Yes, a struggle right now would be unwise indeed.

He didn't have much leverage, either, being hauled forward, bound hand and foot. Guards One and Two were ushering him along with fast, wide footsteps. His chained feet only gave him so much stepping space, less than he had the ability to work with. He took many stumbling and hopping steps, trying in vain to keep up the pace. He was more or less being dragged down a white marble hallway that looked much the same as the previous one. Deep red carpets lined the path he was tripping down, the guards paying no attention whatsoever to his faltering steps. They seemed at ease with his discomfort. Every now and then Jason felt the tip of a sword press ever so slightly into his back, a 'friendly' warning from Guard Three who marched dutifully from behind.

Jason gritted his teeth, unable to hold back the sarcastic words that were bursting from inside. "What's the rush, guys? Does she want my autograph? I feel like I'm getting the royal treatment here."

Silence greeted him for an answer.

Jason was half dragged, half stumbling-like-an-idiot until they came to a set of brilliantly carved mahogany double doors. Four more guards stood at attendance, dressed in the same red and black attire. They nodded, opening the doors and allowing entrance.

Jason felt his eyes widen as he was dutifully carried in.

It was a large room. Though he'd never been, the elegant furnishings inside reminded him of Buckingham Palace. The walls were painted in a light beige cream with brilliant gold trimming along the ceiling and floor. To his immediate left stood a round glass table with the same gold trim along its edge, and two ornately decorated beige cream dining chairs.

The adjacent wall extended a few feet before another set of large mahogany double doors were left open, revealing another room with a massive bed inside and more furnishings that Jason couldn't see. Straight across from him, the other side of the room beheld two floor-to-ceiling windows framed with gold trim and draped in soft gray curtains. Light pooled out and cast the room in a bright glow. In front of those windows sat a plush chaise lounge.

In that lounge lay Ravindra. Her eyes were closed. She didn't open them when Guard One announced their presence. It was hard to tell because of her fair complexion, but Jason didn't think that color of pale looked good on her striking features. There was no color to her cheeks. Her brows were furrowed slightly, alluding to some sort of inner distress or pain. Next to her stood William. There was a tray by his side, and he was busy mixing something in a clear bottle that he was now currently pouring into a mug and handing to the Lady.

She took it, her long slender fingers grasping the ceramic handle. She brought it to her lips and drank deeply, her eyes remaining closed for several long minutes.

Jason glanced at Billy – Er, William—silently imploring those eyes to look up at him.

They didn't. They remained dutifully on Ravindra, watching her very closely.

When she emptied the cup, she handed it back to William, who took it without comment.

Although Jason was all but wanting to shout and demand for _someone_ to tell him what was going on, he had enough sense to keep quiet. It was obvious that, whoever this Ravindra woman was, she was royalty, and everyone revered her. His presence, confusing as it was, was clearly not welcome. He wasn't what she wanted. She'd said as much earlier. She said she wanted the Zeo Power.

Though every fiber in Jason's being told him that would NOT be a good idea, information was key if he had a prayer of finding a way out of this situation. So he held his silence until those eyes opened up and looked at him.

Jason's heart did a weird jolt as those crystal blue oceans stared at him. His blood thundered. The red dragon inside lifted its head, aware of her presence. Its ears perked up.

"Where am I?" the former Gold Ranger asked quietly.

Impassive eyes looked at him, turning quizzical. She tilted her head to the side. "Do you not know who I am?"

Jason suppressed a wave of frustration. Was it _so_ hard for someone to answer this _one_ question for him? However, it was clear that this place was _her_ environment. She had the say. Not him.

Slowly, Jason shook his head in answer to her query. One of the guards had called her Ravindra. That's all he knew.

She regarded those words, assessing their truth. Finally she let out a small exasperated sigh, seeming to accept his words.

"I am Ravindra, Lady of Canberra, ruler of the Green Realm." Her tone implied impatience, as if this were common knowledge that everyone should know. "You are here at my palace, The Keep."

Oh. She had finally answered the burning question of where he was.

And none of it made sense.

All it really answered was that this wasn't home, and he already knew that.

"Why am I here?" That was what he really needed to know.

The corners of that delicate mouth rose up in a humorless smirk. Color was returning to Ravindra's cheeks. "That answer remains illusive it seems. Though, I aim to find out."

That made two of them. Jason watched her warily.

"What planet did I summon you from?"

"Earth," Jason replied.

Those clear blue eyes narrowed. "Of the Milky Way Galaxy?"

Jason nodded slowly. She knew about Earth? _Now_ they were getting somewhere. "What planet is this?"

Something flitted across Ravindra's expression that Jason couldn't read. Her crystal blue eyes were penetrating. "You don't recognize your own planet?"

Jason's eyes widened. "This is Earth?"

"The very one. I recall mentioning that earlier. You clearly don't listen well." Was that amusement in her voice?

Jason didn't respond right away. His mind was whirring, rapidly reviewing the new information. Ravindra said she was ruler of a realm, that she was Lady of Canberra.

Earth didn't have realms. They had states and countries and territories.

Unless. . . Could he possibly have. . .?

"What year is this?"

Her head tilted, regarding his question. "It is the fifth year of my reign, ruler and heir after the death of my sister. It is the summer solstice. You do not know this?" Her tone wasn't so impatient this time. It held curiosity. Bafflement.

Jason shook his head, feeling his stomach drop with dread at her explanation. "Time is measured by hours and days and months and years. Not by someone's reign. I've never heard of Canberra or. . . the Green Realm? I'm from the United States, where there is _no ruler_," he stated emphatically.

Ravindra's eyes lit up. Those lips quirked upward in amusement. She turned her head toward William. "Your theory grows more favorable, Physician. I do believe you are onto something."

William bowed his head. "It is an honor to assist you, my Lady."

Jason looked from one to the other, confused. "What theory?" he asked warily.

Ravindra lulled out the answer with silence for several seconds, reveling in Jason's perplexity. It seemed to entertain her. At last she spoke.

"It was presented to me that I summoned you from an alternate dimension. An alternate Earth, as it appears to be. A place similar to this, and yet. . . not. Does this summarize your experience thus far? Familiar, yet different?"

Unconsciously, Jason's eyes shifted to William. Ravindra smirked.

_Familiar, yet different._

Shit.

Something clicked inside of the former Ranger's head, as if answering a silent yes. Like his subconscious knew something he didn't.

Ravindra's smirk deepened as the silence stretched. "I can see the revelation in your eyes. Yes, this must be true, then." Suddenly her expression grew serious. "Tell me, why is the physician familiar to you?" She jerked her head toward William.

Jason's eyes once again rested on those blue spectacled eyes. They stared back at him impassively. Wait, no, not quite. There was something there, just below the surface. Anticipation? Anxiety? He couldn't quite tell. It made Jason suddenly nervous to reveal anything. William promised he would deny any alliance if Jason attempted to speak of one.

Alternate dimension? Was this person in front of him really not his brainwashed friend, Billy?

Ravindra's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Answer me, prisoner," she demanded. "Cooperation is to your benefit. How do you know the man beside me?"

What to do? Billy, William, _whoever_, was giving him no help. Jason sighed. There was only one way to find out what was going on. Say what he knew to be true, regardless.

"We're friends and comrades. We fought together," he answered softly, staring at blue eyes that flashed in the briefest of anger before schooling back into a calm, blank mask.

"Fought together. . ." the Lady tilted her head to the side. "In what way?"

With effort, Jason turned his gaze to Ravindra. Those crystal blue eyes were staring at him with intensity. "We fought against evil," he answered softly. His voice was calm, yet strong. "We were the Power Rangers."

Ravindra's expression switched instantly. Surprise flitted across her features, her eyes widening. Only for a moment, though. Then those clear blue depths narrowed. "Were you now?" She asked in a deathly soft voice. She turned her head toward William, who was regarding her warily, confusion written on his features. He shook his head to her silent inquisition, his brows furrowing.

Jason's stomach dropped as sapphire eyes turned back toward him. William—shaking his head and saying no to being a Power Ranger?

_Alternate dimension?_

"Would there have been a wizard by the name of Zordon as your commander?" Ravindra quizzed.

Something in her tone of voice made shivers race up Jason's spine.

"How do you know about him?" he asked cautiously, incredulously. Alarm bells were ringing inside of his head. The only ones who knew about Zordon – in any universe—were ones that had dealt with him personally.

Those slender shoulders rose up a small shrug of indifference. "I killed him," she answered simply. The corners of her mouth lifted upon seeing Jason's reaction snap into shock.

"No!" he cried out disbelievingly.

Ravindra nodded, anger flashing. "He killed my sister. He was trying to form a powerful resistance against _me_, as well. He failed. I made _sure_ of it," she stated emphatically, enjoying the look of repulsion cross Jason's face, luxuriating in the power her information unfolded. "Power Rangers he would have called them. Interesting that I pull one from an alternate dimension," she mused. "Another version of him succeeded elsewhere, it seems. This puzzle begins to piece itself together." She glanced sideways at William, amusement in her eyes. "You, a _Power_ Ranger?!"

William swiftly bowed, schooling his features into sobriety. "Indeed. An odd version of Earth this man has come from, my Lady. I shudder at the thought that therein lies someone else with my face hoodwinked to the charms of an alliance that would dare work in opposition with you. It is an ill fate I do not wish to inherit."

Jason's mind was reeling.

_Holy shit_.

He was in an alternate dimension, an alternate _Earth,_ where Billy went by William, and William was a physician? Groveling to some bitch and revering her?

And there was no Zordon. He'd been killed, it was implied, by this Ravindra who was ruler over. . . the Green Realm?

Could this all really be true?

_Yes_, something inside him answered.

Ravindra's eyes brightened into clear blue diamond hues that radiated with joy. "What an unexpected trophy you are. . . Jason it was, yes?"

Jason's answer was a baleful glare.

The Lady held up her hand to William, who promptly took it and assisted Ravindra to her feet. Jason's silence didn't seem to perturb her this time. Color rose to her cheeks. Whatever physical weakness he originally perceived in her when he first entered the room wasn't there now.

She lowered her arm from William's grasp and began walking slowly. She had a saunter to her step. Her hips swayed provocatively, and her brilliant eyes gleamed with a hunger Jason instinctively wanted to run away from. All he managed to do was shrink against Guards One and Two, who were still holding him firmly.

Ravindra grinned widely. "Oh, running away won't do you much good, Jason. You wouldn't get very far." Her tone was authoritative and smug.

She was eyeing him like he was some kind of delicious candy to be devoured. Jason's stomach contorted and twisted. He could taste bile.

Her tongue ran suggestively along her bottom lip. "I have the _delicious_ opportunity to ransack Zordon's power from an alternate universe. I will take _every_ precaution to keep you as close to me as possible as I figure out how to take the Zeo power from you."

She stopped so she was inches away from Jason, smiling ever wider, unperturbed by the daggers he was staring her down with.

"Over my dead body," Jason ground out between clenched teeth, struggling against the guards.

Ravindra reached out and clasped the chains that bound his wrists, drawing his forearms upward and out so they were taut against the opposing force of the guards' grip on his biceps. Her eyes were bright and challenging.

"Were that such a fate could be in my favor, _weakling_," Ravindra's voice dripped with poisoned honey. "You would have succumbed to that demise earlier. However, my spell was successful in binding the Zeo power to me. Ordinarily, killing you for it would have been all I needed to do to gain its full possession, but there is other magic at work here. Apparently you are of better use to me alive. There is something in your life force that causes. . . ill effects when drained."

It was a rush of information Jason struggled to quickly make sense of. His mind flashed back to the ball of electric plasma energy she threw at him, how she had collapsed afterward. How he had passed out as well. He'd hardly had time to process that moment. Belatedly, he realized now that he was lucky to be alive.

_Lucky to be alive._

Ravindra had been trying to kill him. And somehow, that had made her collapse. Or was it more than that?

"You almost died because of trying to kill me," Jason breathed out, realization dawning.

Ravindra's smile turned into an ugly sneer. Her eyes flashed to deep sapphire instantaneously, glittering with hostility. "Don't flatter yourself with such high thoughts, _weakling_," she snapped, pulling at the chains so that Jason took a micro step forward and was an inch away from those stormy eyes.

Her breath blew in his face. It smelled of electric charge. The red dragon inside opened its eyes and rumbled a throaty welcome.

What the hell?

This felt an awful lot like when the Gold power was trying to take over his body. That slithering coil of energy inside was answering to. . .

_Her_.

He stared into those stormy depths. Seething anger radiated from her, but also. . . yes, fear was there as well. His words had gotten to her. He had guessed right. She needed him alive because of the Zeo Power. It really was inside Jason still. He'd never known. . . how could this be?

Yet here was a woman who was breathing an electric storm of anger at him, and the Red dragon of Zeo power inside was waking up.

He didn't understand the why, and he didn't have time to think of how, but he _could_ do something about this very moment.

This bitch was _not_ going to get the power from him.

Since his arms were so kindly held in a vice like grip from the guards, he used them as leverage and in a quick flash, brought his chained feet up in a tight ball against his chest and sprung them forward, slamming them hard into Ravindra's chest.

She went sprawling backwards, eyes flying wide open in surprised shock.

"I am _not_ a weakling!" Jason yelled out in triumph, smirking with glee as he saw her hit the floor with a gratifying smack. Guards immediately rushed to her aid.

Jason tried to struggle against Guards One and Two as pandemonium broke loose, but a sharp pain exploded on the backside of his skull, and he sagged against the arms of his captors, a sea of blackness enveloping his senses.


	3. William

**Author's Notes: **

xxSt0Rm3yyxx: Thank you! That is always good to news to hear. It will get better and better. :)

Ghostwriter: Thanks! It's always awesome to read your reviews.

Amria 1990: Trust me, you didn't drive me bananas :) Thank you so much for all of your reviews, I enjoy knowing what my readers particularly enjoy in each chapter they read. I plan to publish, so your feedback lets me know what I'm doing right, and if you catch mistakes, I don't mind hearing that either. It helps me out.

Darth Keyara: You posted a review to How You Found Me. I hope you don't mind if I reply back to you here. Your feedback was greatly appreciated, and it really made me smile. Thank you! Tommy and Jason sparring turning hot and heavy? Um, YES PLEASE! ;) You astound me with how quickly you read the first story! Writing has been something of a hobby for many years, it is great to know that I'm honing my talent well. I look forward to your thoughts on this sequel!

To all of my other readers, thank you for your interest! Reviews/critiques are always appreciated. If you take the time to review, I like to take the time to talk back with you.

Happy reading!

* * *

**Chapter 3: William**

William's heart beat in frantic and erratic patterns as he hastily put pen to paper and scribbled away. He had precious little time before he needed to be back and see to Jason.

An alternate dimension! He'd read about them in a few of the records he'd found at The Keep. Thank goodness Jason's rantings had given him the right kind of clues, otherwise the Lady would be suspecting William to be a spy or traitor.

He couldn't afford those kinds of doubts from her at all.

William's inner scientist was alight and giddy at meeting someone from another dimension. He wanted to quiz the man on anything and everything. Jason looked exactly like his childhood friend Jay. What were the odds of that? The names were even similar. William almost didn't recognize him at first. The last time he had seen Jay was. . . well, yes, a very long time ago. That wasn't a pleasant memory.

Nor was being called Billy. Jay wouldn't have known that name. And Jason. . . well, he shouldn't have known.

That was a close call, the way Ravindra had immediately suspected him. William had thankfully extinguished the potential hazard that situation could so very easily have caused. But still, she should never have known that name existed.

William had only ever been called Billy by his mother. Warm memories of her threatened to conjure up inside his head. He shoved them away.

She was gone. Like so many others. Like Jay's. . .

Jay, nor anyone else, ever knew of the nickname. And here was Jason, throwing it around like it was common place.

It wasn't.

It made sense now, though. Jason believed William to be someone from Alternate Earth. And apparently this alternate version of himself happened to be a close friend and comrade. Not a long lost childhood friend that should have stayed forgotten. And his alternate self went by Billy?

If there wasn't so much riding at stake, this discovery would have been so much more fascinating. Another version of himself existing in an alternate Earth, and friends with an alternate version of Jay?

Fascinating.

And horrifying.

Jason's appearance brought ill news. Very ill news.

The Zeo power truly existed.

It was – thankfully – housed and protected inside of someone who seemed determined to protect it, but still. . . the power lay _right_ in front of Lady Ravindra. It was only a matter of time before she figured out how to take it away from Jason completely. There was no doubt in William's mind of that fact. She already suspected that physical pain opened up some sort of gateway that allowed her to siphon off the power a little at a time.

When she really discovered how to do it. . .

He would have to help her. He knew that already. It wasn't going to be pleasant, but he hadn't come this far only to get squeamish now.

He had to hope that he found out the right kind of information before her. If he could manage that, he could try to manipulate things somehow. Stall for more time.

Time.

There was precious little of that now.

With a shaky sigh, William penned his initials, waited impatiently for the ink to dry, and then rolled the parchment into a tight scroll.

Perched on a wooden stand in his room sat Sorcha, his beautiful black crow. He walked over to her and tucked the piece of parchment into a leather cylinder carrier pouch attached to her left leg. Once satisfied that it was safely secured, he allowed himself a few fleeting moments of letting his guard down. He could feel the features in his face relax as he brought his fingers up and stroked her shiny black feathers. Her presence soothed him. It always had. He rescued her when she showed up with a broken wing and half starved. He'd nursed her back to life. Ever since then, she was his.

He signaled her to hop up on his arm. She readily did so. He reached up and gently stroked her head. Looking into her gleaming black eyes, William opened his thoughts and spoke instructions to her mind. The bird let out one small squawk, announcing she understood.

William reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a few of her favorite seeds. She happily snapped them into her beak, gobbling them up.

He strode over to his window, opening the pane of glass. "Be of quick haste, my pet," he murmured softly to Sorcha. "Fly swift and true."

She pecked at his fingers lightly, then gave a short squawk of goodbye. Extending his arm through the window, Sorcha spread her wings and jumped from his arm, flapping hard and taking flight.

He watched her retreating form for a few seconds, then closed the window. Nerves always frayed themselves when William sent her on one of these errands, but he knew his protective charms would hold. They'd done so thus far.

William afforded himself one steadying breath. He wished vaguely that he felt better.

He didn't.

He just had to hope that Sorcha would bring him back good news.

Hope – such a precarious thing, but it was all he had.

Closing the window and closing up his heart, William turned around, grabbed his medical bag and headed out of his room. Adam, his personal guard, clad in the lower rank colors of blue and black, stood at attendance. His brown eyes questioned William's, who nodded, answering the unspoken inquiry. Adam's expression flitted briefly with relief, then it was replaced with a mask of impassivity, the expression all guards wore.

"They _must_ bring back good news," Adam muttered softly, barely moving his lips. His tone of voice indicated his emotions were on a similar path with William's.

William tipped his head in the smallest of acknowledgements. "Time will soon tell," he replied quietly. There was that word again: Time. "What news of the Lady, have you received any?" he asked, switching to a safer topic.

Adam began walking forward, William right alongside. "She will not be re-visiting the prisoner tonight. Strict orders have been issued that you, and only you, are allowed entrance," he began. "She has received news that the village near the northern cliffs is under attack. A carrier boy has brought back hearsay that the Crusaders are involved. She is assembling an investigation."

William frowned, feeling his heart thump loudly. Too close. They were far too close. Why? "Let us hope the carrier boy has heard wrong, else my dear feathered friend will be bringing back unwelcome information in far too short a period," he grumbled quietly.

Adam nodded. "Gives you time to get to know the prisoner, at least."

Yes. That _was_ good.

It was then that they started hearing the commotion. It was coming from the other hallway, where the prisoner was being kept. Adam exchanged alarmed glances with William before dashing ahead and rounding the corner hallway. William wasn't far behind.

Turning the corner, up ahead he saw Rand, one of the head guards, staring into the prisoner's opened room with transfixed horror. Ravindra's voice could be heard from inside, screaming in a tyrant of rage. William saw Rand squint and turn his head away as bright red and black sparks of electricity erupted from within.

William broke out into a flat run, cursing the weight of his medical bag he was carrying. Adam was already next to Rand, trying to squint into the electrical storm that Ravindra was throwing around.

Suddenly it stopped. Adam's eyes widened for a brief second before he too turned his head away.

No! She couldn't have killed the prisoner. It had injured her the last time. She wouldn't have been foolish enough to try again. Why was she even there in the first place? Adam's report had said otherwise.

Finally caught up, William all but barged into the room, pushing past Adam and Rand.

His stomach twisted and rose up dangerously. Before him in the small room lay a charbroiled, smoking, wreaking mess of what used to be a person. Bile rose in William's throat at the acrid smell of charred flesh. He backed up a few steps but froze as Ravindra looked up, her black fathomless eyes snapping to attention on him. From the corner of his eye he saw with relief the prisoner, alive and backed up in a corner, spitting out a mouthful of blood before vomiting.

"You!" Ravindra snarled softly.

William swallowed the bile in his throat, trying desperately to keep his face as impassive and emotionless as he could. He had a feeling he wasn't succeeding very well.

"My Lady?" William asked, cursing the tremor that snaked through his voice, giving away his fear.

"You were to have been here examining my prisoner. What kept you?" she demanded in a low midnight voice.

William's heart pounded. Somehow he found strength to lift the muscles in his left arm, holding up his medical bag. "My apologies, Lady Ravindra. I needed to gather my supplies," he answered softly, weakly.

She stared him down for an unknown length of time. He could feel his bones turn to jelly the longer he maintained eye contact with those pitch black eyes. Never had such seething anger been turned in his direction. Then slowly, _very_ slowly, he felt the temperature in the room drop to a chill. That was sort of a good sign. The room wasn't shrouded in white hot anger anymore.

At last she blinked, acknowledging his words.

"You will have more to attend to, now. My previous Head Guard here," she motioned vaguely at the charred mass laying at her feet, "disregarded my _direct _orders for no one to touch my prisoner but you. He apparently felt the need to disobey me and serve his own desires."

William's eyes flitted over to Jason. The man was cradling his chest and sporting several cuts to the face, a bloody nose, and what was promising to be a black eye.

His gaze wondered back toward the blackened mass on the floor. Head Guard. This must have been Byron. The man had a violent passion for beating up prisoners. Ravindra hadn't seemed to care in the past, but this was a very different situation.

Jason was no ordinary prisoner. Both the Lady and William were mutually suspecting that the infliction of pain opened some sort of gateway for her to access the Zeo power.

If she wasn't around when Byron was inflicting whatever sort of pain onto Jason. . . was that why she was here? She might have felt the power being drawn but wasn't close enough to partake of the affects. No wonder the former Head Guard died so horrifically.

Still, he had never seen her charbroil anyone to death before. She channeled electricity well, but _this_. . . this was another level.

Had she absorbed more of the Zeo power after all? Infliction of pain must surely be the key, then.

His mind flipped back to the present. Ravindra was staring at him, waiting for a response. William bowed his head. "Byron was most unwise to disobey you, my Lady. Again, my apologies that I was not here sooner. But I am here now, and I will examine your prisoner and his injuries as you instructed for me to do."

This seemed to appease her, as she nodded slightly. "In a moment." She motioned toward Adam and Rand. "You two, come in here."

With a nod, both guards swiftly entered the room, standing at attention for orders.

Those black eyes focused on Rand. "You are now Head Guard. You have my permission to kill anyone who inflicts harm on my prisoner without my explicit consent. _Especially_ when I am not present. Understood?"

Rand took a bow. "Yes, my Lady."

"And you, Adam, is it?" Ravindra asked, turning her stare onto William's personal guard. Adam nodded wordlessly. Ravindra continued on. "I promote you to one of my royal guards. As you have assisted in guarding my physician, so shall you take personal care to guard my prisoner. I shall be requiring William's undivided assistance in these matters at hand. You will protect the life of all in this room unless I direct you otherwise. You follow my orders, and mine alone. Is that clear?"

Adam's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the promotion. Nonetheless, he bowed deeply. "It is very clear, my Lady. It is an honor to serve you."

Ravindra nodded, her fathomless eyes beginning to lighten to the darkest midnight blue. She pointed to the blackened mass of Byron on the floor.

"Take this heathenness thing away and dispose of it. I want it gone from my sight," she ordered.

Without further word, Adam and Rand bent down and grabbed at the blackened body. Their faces turned a shade of green, but they managed to drag Byron out of the room, shutting the door as they went.

William admired their strength of stomach. He himself had seen all manner of illness and injury, but the smell of cooked human flesh was hard for anyone to bear.

Ravindra let out a small sigh of exasperation and rubbed at her temples, closing her eyes.

"My Lady?" William inquired warily. He didn't normally see her drop her guard as she was doing. It was rather terrifying.

Deep sapphire eyes snapped open, turning to glare at Jason, who remained curled up in the same corner of the room, head tilted back and pinching his nose in an attempt to stop the blood flow.

"You are such a _thorn_ in my side!" she snarled. "Now is really not the time for me to be figuring out why the power chooses to relinquish itself from you during injury! I do not make light of flying off like a fool to chase down these wisps of power that draw out from you. They stop when they please and leave me starved for more. Am I doomed to be at your damnable side whenever they exit your body? What kind of protective charms have you placed on this power? Speak!"

The prisoner took deliberate time to bring his head down and fix Ravindra with a loathsome stare. He still clutched at his bloody nose. William noted the man's face was pale in color. His bottom lip was cut open and also oozing out blood. William bent down and opened up his medical bag, rifling through it.

"They're Lucky Charms," came Jason's response. His voice sounded higher in pitch and stifled due to holding his nose closed.

"Which ones _are_ they?" Ravindra demanded, exasperated and anxious.

"I don't know. They have different shapes like a heart and a horse shoe and a rainbow, but they're magically delicious." His tone dripped with sarcasm.

Ravindra's eyes narrowed into thin slits. Her hands balled into fists. A current of energy ignited and buzzed in her hands, balling into a sparkling blue mass. "You will regret toying with me, prisoner. One way or another, I _will_ get what I want. You're a damned fool."

"Better to be a fool than a coward," Jason replied, looking pointedly at William as he emphasized the last word.

The ball of electricity, crackling and popping in Ravindra's right fist, began to elongate in shape and take the form of a dagger. She gripped it tightly in her hand and began inching it forward, preparing to strike out at Jason. William froze from his pursuit of medical supplies, transfixed at the scene before him. Ravindra was truly a nightmare when her anger was provoked.

Before she launched her weapon, however, a knock sounded at the door. Ravindra's eyes instantaneously shrouded in black, and she whirled around, her face contorted in wrathful fury.

"What IS it?!" she snarled in a throaty growl.

A muffled voice answered on the other side of the door. It wisely didn't open. "My lady, we need your counsel on the investigation you want to mount for the Crusader's attack in the northern village. We must make haste, else we risk losing their trail altogether."

William's mind snapped out of its paralyzed mode, and he fished out a medicated towel . He wanted to tend to the prisoner's bleeding nose, but he dared not make a bold move while Ravindra was in her mad state of rage. The prisoner had angered her enough that she might not want the man treated at all.

Ravindra let out a yell of frustration, screwing her eyes shut tight for an instant. "_Damnation_!" she screamed the door.

Her voice echoed loudly in the room. The hairs on the back of William's neck stood straight up and his heart thumped wildly. Oh dear, her ire seemed fierce enough to strike again for a second kill. Who was the poor sap going to be?

Ravindra drew in two great lungful's of air and closed her eyes. William held his breath as the silence stretched. Was she calming down or going deeper into the darkness? He'd seen both reactions when she went like this. Finally, she opened her sapphire eyes and addressed the guard on the other side of the door.

"Go Rawlin, I will be there shortly." Her tone was a mask of calm that did little to hide the seething anger that was boiling just under the surface.

Still, though, her answer was a relief. She had stepped back from the killing edge.

The guard's tone carried a note of relief as well. "Yes, my lady," came his grateful reply.

William couldn't hear if the guard had retreated, but he didn't doubt that the man had all but scampered away the second she told him to leave. Who would want to wait around to escort Ravindra anywhere in her current state of emotion? You could end up dead just by breathing wrong.

Slowly, Ravindra turned back around so she was facing Jason. The dagger she had conjured in her hand had faded, but sparks still flickered in both palms. She took a few steps forward and then bent down so she was at eye level with the prisoner. Jason's expression was wary, and fear lurked in those brown eyes, but he held her gaze, chin held high in bold challenge. He was a bloody mess and was still pinching his nose shut, but everything in his manner suggested himself to be a strong warrior, not easily cowed.

Ravindra loved breaking strong spirits. It wasn't good to show how strong you could be. Especially if she hated you. And rest assured, she hated Jason.

The Sorceress leaned in closely so she was inches away from Jason's face. He tensed and backed his head up a mere two inches, but he had already been huddling in the corner, so there wasn't anywhere for him to go.

She tilted her mouth toward his ear and whispered loudly into it. "I will make you _scream_, Jason of Alternate Earth. I will _break_ this bond you have with the power, and I will make sure you live long enough to see my empire shadow all of the others. Your days will be as dark as hell if you continue to defy me. See what you feel _then_ about fools and cowards."

William saw Jason's jaw close and set in a hard line. His lips were just barely open, enough to let him breathe the smallest amount while he still pinched away at his nose. He didn't look at Ravindra or comment as she withdrew from him and stood back up. The Lady turned and addressed William.

"Clean and treat only what is necessary for him to be conscious enough for tomorrow. _No_ more. If his wounds are spotless, I will gut you. Is that clear?"

William bowed his head, not daring to look up into those black fathomless depths. "Yes, my Lady."

He kept his head lowered as she opened the door and walked out, issuing instructions to both Adam and Rand, who had just recently returned. Then the door closed, and William was alone with the prisoner.

He waited a few moments to allow both of them some measure of space to gather their wits. Then he looked up. Jason was slumped against the wall, head tilted back, still holding his nose and closing his eyes. His complexion was still pale. How hard had Byron hit him?

William inched forward with his medicated cloth in hand. Jason's eyes snapped open, regarding him warily.

"Here," William said, handing him the cloth. "Bend forward and put this to your nose. There's medication on here that should help stop the bleeding and calm the swelling. Breathe it in."

The prisoner eyed him doubtfully, not taking the proffered cloth. William sighed. This guy was a stubborn one. Jay was like that too, if he remembered correctly.

"Pick your battles wisely," he counseled. "I assure you, this one is not worth the fight. I'm here to help."

Jason's expression didn't change much, but he at least took the cloth and held it up to his nose. His hand was caked with blood.

"If you insist, _William_," he replied with a hard edge to his voice, tilting his head back.

William ignored the barb and pushed Jason's head forward. The prisoner glared.

"The blood needs to drain from your nose," William explained patiently. "Tilting it back will pour the blood down into your stomach and cause upset. Lean forward. You've already swallowed quite a bit as it is. I have a basin should you need to relieve yourself."

Jason said nothing, but he complied, leaning forward. It was clear by how much he tensed each time William made physical contact that he had an aversion to being touched.

William wasn't perturbed. He'd looked after many other prisoners before. They all had an instinctive mistrust for him. After all, he was the Lady's physician, and it was Her will he served.

He moved Jason's chained arms so he could maneuver under them to get a closer look at the chest he was cradling. If a rib had cracked, hopefully it hadn't punctured a lung. William needed to grab a few things out of his medical bag in order to get a better look.

"Am I really in an alternate dimension?" Jason asked quietly as William turned around and rifled through the bag's contents.

"Based on the information you supplied earlier, that is my best assumption," William agreed.

"You've never heard of Ernie's Juice Bar and Gym?" Jason asked. There was a note of incomprehension in that voice.

William shook his head, pretending to have trouble finding the equipment in his bag. If Jason was willing to talk, William really wanted answers.

"You weren't ever a Power Ranger?" Jason continued to probe.

"Negative."

There was a small moment of silence. "You just look exactly like him, though," Jason replied sadly, that voice so soft William had to stop his rummaging so he could hear the words.

_And you look like Jay, but I haven't seen him in years,_ William thought silently to himself. He remained mute, though. He wasn't going to supply that information to Ravindra's high profile prisoner.

"And Aquitar? That doesn't ring a bell, either?"

Again, William shook his head, turning around slowly, stethoscope and a few other items in hand.

"Who have you been then, if not a Power Ranger?" Jason asked wonderingly as William stepped back over to him. He had a lost expression on his face that pushed at something inside. William worked to suppress it.

What a terrible thing to get pulled into a different universe, confused and out of sorts, all because you possessed something Ravindra wanted.

She was the destroyer of lives.

All hail the mighty Empress.

William kept his face impassive as he moved to put the stethoscope on his ears. "I have been William Cranston, physician and healer in Lady Ravindra's service since the beginning of her reign. Before then, I apprenticed under the former Head Physician who served her sister, the previous ruler."

He placed the bell of the stethoscope up and underneath Jason's bloodied shirt, pressing it against the chest. The prisoner's nose had been a real bleeder.

"Sit up if you can and take a deep breath," he instructed.

Jason did as he was told, wincing a little. William moved the stethoscope around to the prisoner's back, repeating instructions. By the sounds of things, his lungs were fine. That was good. After a few more ministrations and questioning, William's suspicions of a cracked rib were confirmed. There were things he could do to heal it, but Jason was capable of surviving through tomorrow without it. It grated on his pride as a physician not to do what he could to heal the injury, but he dared not go against Ravindra's orders.

Next, he moved to examine the black eye as well as the various cuts Jason had suffered on his face. But as he used a clean damp cloth to wipe away at the blood, he noticed all of the wounds were closed, and fresh skin was already scabbing over.

That was fast. Unusually fast.

"Are you a fast healer?" William inquired.

One side of Jason's mouth pulled up in a humorless smirk. "Not that I know of. Why?"

William hesitated a moment, undecided about whether or not to speak his observations. Well, if he wanted answers. . . "The cuts on your face have already closed up and are scabbing over with new skin. It's unusual to see this rate of recovery. That's why I ask. Let's see how your nose is doing."

Jason uncovered the cloth and handed it to William, who examined it. There was a little more discharge of blood, but not much. He shone a light up both nostrils. Other than some congealed blood, things looked fine.

"How does it feel?"

Jason scrunched up his nose, testing it out. His brows knit together. "It feels okay," he answered, sounding mildly surprised. "Is it supposed to? Or is that unusual too?"

"The cloth was medicated, but I'd say your body responded very well to the therapeutic elements in it. Unusual for it to take effect so fast, I would say," William supplied.

Jason nodded. "And one of my ribs is just fractured?"

"Affirmative."

Again, those brows furrowed in thought. "There's no whistling sound."

"What whistling sound?" William asked a bit too sharply.

Jason's eyebrows rose. "When I breathed," he explained. "There was a whistling sound. It's gone now."

Straight away William dove his stethoscope back under Jason's shirt, ordering him to breathe deeply. He checked and double checked the front and back of the prisoner's chest. The lungs were healthy. There was no indication whatsoever of an internal injury.

"You're sure you heard a whistling sound?"

"Yeah," Jason confirmed hesitantly. "What would that have meant?"

William's brows furrowed. "It would have indicated a punctured lung," he murmured softly. "But your airway sounds healthy and normal. Your heart beat is strong. I see no indication of such an injury."

Jason was silent a moment, digesting that news. "Huh, I guess I'm a fast healer and I never knew it."

William smiled politely, keeping his suspicions to himself. No one healed from a punctured lung in _that_ short amount of time without something extra aiding in the healing process.

A sudden thought occurred to William.

"How exactly did you come to possess the Zeo power?"

Jason shook his head slowly. "It's not like that," he answered softly, his expression turning into one of deep thought. "It wasn't really mine. It belonged to. . ." Jason stopped suddenly, his eyes growing wide.

"What is it?" William prompted when the prisoner didn't continue.

Jason stared forward, seemingly forgetting about William's presence. "Tommy," he breathed out in a whisper.

That completely baffled William. "Tommy?"

Jason nodded, staring off into space. "It was his Zeo power that brought me back to life. I hope to God he wasn't brought here too."

William rocked back on his heels, thrown off balance by that sudden weight of information. "The Zeo power brought you back to life?!"


	4. Tommy, Meet Thomas

Author's notes:

Ghostwriter: *grins* Thank you! I know this wasn't quite soon enough, but hope it was worth the wait.

Darth Keyara: I wanted a darker story in this sequel. Actually, the origins of this come from a dream I had. I liked the idea of taking them somewhere AU, yet keeping some of the original characters. This chapter delves more into the conundrum they find themselves in. Hope you enjoy.

To all of my readers, thank you for your interest! I always encourage feedback as it helps me to know how I am doing in my storytelling, writing, what parts you like or don't like, etc.

My updates will continue to be slow and erratic for this story. I have made a new years resolution with myself to pursue a story for publishing. I have begun work on it, and currently, that is what I will dedicate more of my time to. Please bear with me and don't give up on me, because I don't plan to let this fall to the wayside.

Happy reading, and please review!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Tommy, Meet Thomas**

The world opened back up, and Tommy found himself face to face with a hard wooden floor.

"Oof!"

It wasn't the hardest fall he'd taken, but the impact sucked out air that had already vacated Tommy's chest cavity from one of the _weirdest_ sensations he'd ever experienced.

He was sitting in Ernie's old office, working on the staff scheduling and wishing idly that Marge was there to show him how to input everything into the computer when this red hot pain started firing away through his bloodstream. The next thing he knew it felt like this invisible hook stabbed into his stomach and started pulling from inside, attempting to turn him inside out.

He gasped out of shock, and that was the last breath of air he was able to take before he was sucked into a vat of darkness and felt himself flung through a bottomless space pit and thrown toward a very worn and well used wooden floor.

He gratefully breathed in a lungful of air but immediately coughed when that air included dust.

What the _hell_ had just happened?

While still coughing, Tommy pushed up with his hands and stood up, taking a look around. This wasn't Ernie's old office. It wasn't even a gym.

He was in someone's home. In a bedroom, actually. Well, if you could call it that. There was a cot in the corner against the wall, sporting some ragged blankets and a dirty pillow. Beside it there was a small chest of drawers with a lamp sitting on top, a small woven rug in the center of the room, and a soft toy doll lying next to his feet.

_What_ was he doing here, and why?

The shrill scream of a woman's voice prevented Tommy from any further examination on his bizarre surroundings. That piercing cry was coming from the other side of that door. The desperation in that shriek told Tommy someone was in serious trouble.

Without thinking, Tommy burst through the door and stumbled into a small living room area. Upon first glance, it looked just as ragged and dismal as the bedroom he flew out of. There was a small gray couch with sewn patches covering it sitting in front of a small fireplace. On that couch was where the woman's distress call had come from. She looked to be in her early twenties, and had mousy brown hair and the biggest, most fearful brown eyes he'd ever seen.

A big burly soldier clad in red and black armor had her hands pinned up above her head. With his other free arm, he had hiked up her pale blue dress past the waist line and was grabbing at a most intimate area.

Both of them turned their heads at Tommy's sudden arrival.

The woman's expression showed indecision at whether or not his presence was a good thing, but the soldier's face screwed up in a terrible sneer.

"You'd best walk out of here, boy," the soldier threatened in a throaty snarl that indicated too much cocky attitude. "Unless you care to meet your fate with the lady's vengeance."

_Boy?_ He hadn't been called a boy in a long, long time.

The soldier's hold on the woman's arms must have tightened, because she let out a whimper of pain. Her eyes pleaded with Tommy not to leave her alone.

A fuse of white hot rage lit up like a kerosene fire inside of the former Red Zeo Ranger. He didn't know where the hell he was, but all be damned if he was going to run off with his tail between his legs. No one, and he meant _no one_, was going to suffer rape at the hands of _anybody_ so long as he was around. The scene before him screamed out that kind of filth.

Tommy's eyes narrowed into thin slits, glaring daggers at the soldier. "You have _two_ seconds to let her go peacefully, or you will meet _your_ fate at _my _hands you son of a bitch."

The soldier's lips curled up menacingly. "I shall enjoy gutting you myself for speaking out of line. Then I shall teach your _girlfriend_ how to properly treat a royal guard."

Tommy's hands balled into fists. He bared his teeth, grounding out the words, "Two seconds are up." Then he lunged forward.

With surprising speed and agility, the burly soldier sprang up from the couch, releasing his hold on the woman. She promptly lowered her dress and scampered off the couch, picking a corner of the kitchen to sink down and take cover.

The soldier drew a sword from his scabbard. It sang through the air, effectively cutting off Tommy's direct attack. He glowered with contempt as he spat out, "I'll cut your balls off, boy! You're defying the Royal Guard's direct orders. It won't save your life, and now your actions have forfeit your girlfriend's." He spat at the floor in front of Tommy's feet. "Do you still dare to fight?"

Tommy glared, balling his hands into fists. "Bring it on pussy lips. I'd like to see if your sword is as slick as your tongue."

The soldier's eyes widened in surprise at the crass reply, but his mouth retreated back into a sneer. "You will pay for your boldness."

Tommy lifted his chin. "So will you."

The soldier charged, swinging the blade in a wide arc that Tommy easily twisted away from. Spying a poker by the fireplace, Tommy grasped it and turned around in time to block a power swing. Sparks flew. The soldier attempted to go for Tommy's side, but he parried the blow and forced the blade to swing upward so the soldier's chest was unprotected. Tommy threw his right knee up and kicked out, striking the soldier's ribs. The man went toppling backwards, arms flailing for balance. He nearly fell, but he caught himself just in time.

Tommy lunged forward, poker arm extended, but had to jump back when the soldier's blade tried to take advantage of empty space and spear his chest. Metal clashed against metal, and an awkward sword fight ensued. Tommy was used to working with a curved scythe blade from his Green and White Power Ranger days, not a rusty iron poker, but it was doing the trick. The soldier was good, but thankfully, so was Tommy.

"Once I kill you, I'll kill all of your family too, boy," the soldier snarled. "You've ruined a lot of lives today by rebelling against Ravindra." His attacks and parries were getting more aggressive.

Tommy gritted his teeth against the increasingly vicious clashing of metal. Who was Ravindra? Like hell his family was going to die! Who did this guy think he was dealing with? It was scraping on his nerves the way the man constantly kept referring to him as _boy_.

Tommy's expression turned to one of feigned horror at the soldier's words, backing up a few paces. He lowered his poker, and the man's face split into a huge leer, showing a mouthful of stained teeth. He swung his blade hard and wide, going for a killing blow. At the last possible second, Tommy ducked, hugging himself as close to the floor as possible. He heard the loud thud of the blade slicing into the wooden wall he had purposely backed up against. The soldier's legs shook and locked up for a moment, absorbing the sudden impact they weren't expecting to bear.

_That_ blade was good and lodged in the wall, Tommy was sure.

The former Power Ranger stuck his legs out and did a sweep kick, knocking the soldier's legs clear out from under him. The soldier took a hard fall to the floor, back first. He let out a surprised grunt of pain as air knocked itself from his lungs.

Tommy whipped up onto his legs, aiming the poker at the soldier's jugular. Though he was coughing from the fall, he stilled his body and raised his hands in surrender, knowing full well death was upon him. It reflected in his suddenly wide eyes.

Tommy hesitated. He'd never actually killed a man before. Monsters and putties, sure, but humans? They'd never made it to the list.

And quite suddenly, Tommy felt uncertain to start that count. It was a horrible moment to suddenly be contemplating the morality of the situation, given the soldier had just attempted to rape a woman and was threatening Tommy's life and everyone around him. It was a moment of kill or be killed.

Why was he suddenly questioning it?

Tommy's world was abruptly spinning before him. His feet went up and his back went down, and he was staring at a dirty white ceiling. His moment of hesitation had cost him. He hadn't paid close enough attention to his footing, and the soldier had repaid him move for move. Now the soldier was up and Tommy was down, and those grubby hands were on the poker, trying to wrestle it from Tommy's grasp.

He clung onto it for dear life, for it was truly that kind of battle now. There was no doubt that the soldier wouldn't hesitate on _his_ end to kill Tommy with the poker.

Damn that confounded sense of morality!

If he could just muster enough force and wrestle it away. . .

That's when he saw a sheath holding a small blade at the soldier's right calf. The man hadn't drawn on that weapon. Why in the hell not, Tommy didn't much care, but he needed to get those legs close enough so he could reach for it.

Gripping the iron poker so hard his knuckles were white, Tommy pulled. The soldier pulled back. Keeping his arms strung tightly together, Tommy allowed himself to get pulled up from the floor slightly. The soldier sneered and gave a hard jerk, propelling Tommy up just a little bit further. . . right there.

Quick as a whip, Tommy lunged and grabbed the small dagger and pushed himself forward so he was sitting upright. He lost some leverage with his grip on the poker when he let one hand go, and the soldier greedily pulled upward. Still, Tommy's grasp wasn't quite shaken. The harsh movement had just helped him push his feet off the floor and inch closer to the man's foul breath. His fingers were loosening on the poker, and in seconds would lose the battle of wills.

The poker wasn't what he needed anymore, though. Instinctually, Tommy raised the dagger and – without thinking, only doing – plunged it into the man's heart.

Blue-green eyes flooded with brief surprise before fading, and the hold on the poker instantly slacked. Gravity pulled Tommy back to the floor while it also sent the soldier sprawling backwards, landing heavily on Tommy's legs. The former Ranger wiggled out and away, standing himself up and looking cautiously into the soldier's face.

He was dead.

Tommy had killed him.

He _had_ to, he found himself trying to rationalize inside his head. One more moment and it would have been him staring through with vacant eyes. Then the woman would have been raped and killed as well.

Tommy shuddered. Vacant eyes reminded him too much of when he saw Jason that way, and that wasn't a good memory to reflect on. It was best not to think too deeply here. What's done was done.

"For the record, I'm _not_ a boy," Tommy retorted softly, defiantly, to the corpse.

He then looked up, eyes tracking around for the woman. He spotted her, hunched down in the corner of the kitchen. She hadn't moved. Her mouth hung open in shocked surprise, her eyes staring at the fallen soldier. They moved cautiously up to Tommy, gawking with awe.

"Are you okay?" Tommy asked shakily.

Mutely the woman nodded, then blinked and cleared her throat, seeming to find her voice. "Why are you guys here?"

Of all things for her to say, that was the least expected response Tommy could have received. Did she somehow recognize him? "Guys? What do you mean?"

"You're with the Crusaders, aren't you?"

Tommy stared dumbly, not exactly knowing what to say. "Um. . . I don't really know where I am, actually," he replied awkwardly.

The woman gave him a quizzical look and got to her feet, brushing herself off calmly. Tommy made a move to go help her, but she waved him away despondently. Um. . . what? Moments ago she was terrified, and now she was calm and collected, as if nothing extraordinary had just happened.

"This is Wispy Willow," she explained.

Tommy's eyebrows shot up. "Not Angel Grove?"

The woman shook her head and looked at him like he was daft. "This is the northern village," she added. Tommy's confused expression didn't change. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "We're nearest to The Keep, just past the Shadow Mountains?" she supplied in a tone that suggested she was talking to a child about something obvious.

Tommy shifted uncomfortably, shrugging. "Sorry, no. If this isn't California, and it sounds like it isn't, then I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about."

She stared at him with incredulity. "If you aren't with the Crusaders who are outside mucking up our village with a rebellious attack we _didn't_ ask for, then who are you?"

The tone of her voice stunned Tommy. Here he was, suddenly thrown into god knows where, walking in on a soldier attempting to rape a woman, and that same woman was now sassing him. He stared at the dagger sticking out of the man's chest, then back to the woman.

"I'm someone who just saved your integrity and your life," he retaliated, though he couldn't keep the hint of doubt out of his voice.

The woman's face softened, and she sheepishly dipped her head. "Thank you," she muttered shyly, her cheeks reddening. "It's why I assumed you were a Crusader."

"Who are they?"

At that moment there was a loud commotion outside. Swords, clashing and clanging against each other, could be heard. The woman's mouth hardened a little, staring at the front door. "They are rebels against Lady Ravindra and fight her rule." Her eyes quickly darted back to him, questioning. "You do not know this?"

Tommy shook his head.

She tilted her head, regarding him with puzzled curiosity. "Are you ill in the head?"

Tommy bristled. "No!" he replied indignantly. "It's just. . ." he paused, then shrugged, looking around the room. "I'm not from around here," he finished softly.

The woman let out a small snort. "_That's_ obvious." Her eyes narrowed. "You were foolhardy to kill one of the Royal Guard. I'd get lost if I were you. Once this is known, your life around the village is forfeit. You did yourself no favors with your bravado."

Tommy stared at her in shock. Was she even glad that he'd saved her? He pointed an indignant finger toward the dead soldier. "He was going to _rape_ you. You wanted me to just walk on by and let it happen?"

The woman didn't respond, but rather lowered her head. Was she blushing again? She fidgeted with her hands. "It might have been better that way," she muttered so softly, Tommy had to strain to hear her.

His head snapped back as if he had been slapped. _What?_ What kind of place encouraged a woman to talk like that? _Think_ of herself like that?

This wasn't good at all.

Tommy opened his mouth to retort, but that's when an all-too familiar yell sounded from outside, very close by. He knew that voice. Immediately Tommy's heart sunk to the bottom of his bowels, contorting in anxious fear.

He rushed to the front door and threw it open. There, up ahead on a dirt road in front of a cattle field, was a small group of four red-and-black clad soldiers, all circled around one person: Jason. He was putting up one hell of a fight, but the soldiers outflanked him. A circle of swords were all pointed at him.

Tommy's heart constricted. His husband had been brought here too?

What kind of trouble had Jason found himself in to have a group of soldiers, all circled around with murderous glares and murderous intentions?

No.

Anger flared up like a bolt of lightning, hot and rancid. _No one_ was going to kill his husband again. Tommy had been through that hell one too many times. He looked quickly back toward the dead soldier in the living room and the sword that was firmly lodged in the wall.

No good.

Tommy scrambled for the iron poker and dashed out of the woman's home and toward the fight.

Brown Haired soldier had grabbed a handful of Jason's hair from behind and was tugging. It effectively caused his husband to reach up and try to break the grasp, which left the chest area open and exposed. Another soldier with prickly black hair promptly took advantage and threw a punch to the stomach. Jason bent over slightly, letting out a soft grunt of pain.

A blond haired soldier raised his sword and prepared to strike a killing blow at Jason when Tommy yelled out. His voice rang clearly through the air.

Four pairs of heads turned toward the sound. Blond Haired soldier went down before he even knew what happened. Tommy pierced the man's belly with his poker, then high kicked with a savage grunt. The soldier went sprawling to the earth.

The other soldiers were instantly upon Tommy, but he was more than ready. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jason bend down sharply, propelling the soldier who had grasped his hair up and over him. Two against three were much better odds now, though the commotion had drawn a few more soldiers to the ruckus.

Tommy was a blur of motion. He abandoned his poker and picked up the fallen soldier's sword. He was a fierce combatant against the others. Being in a strange and seemingly hostile place where he just witnessed an attempt against his husband's life did _not_ sit well with the former Ranger.

He parried and attacked with brutal efficiency. Something inside just sort of snapped and sang out to a dangerous tune as he fought alongside his husband. This man meant more than life to him. Jason had died in his arms once. It was the most terrible, gut wrenching experience in his entire life. He could remember every detail of that awful scene. The way Jason struggled for his few final breaths, the way those chocolate eyes deadened and glazed over, unseeing and vacant. The way that arm just fell, limp and lifeless. The way. . .

Tommy blinked and gave out a yell, slicing his blade across his opponent's throat. Brown Haired soldier who had grabbed Jason's head clutched at his neck and sputtered, falling to the ground, bleeding out the rest of his miserable life.

The bastard.

Tommy whirled around and saw Jason slice into Black Haired soldier's belly. For the briefest moment Tommy was impressed with the brutal sword play and idly wondered where Jason had learned to sword fight so well, but the thought quickly fled when another soldier started charging, blade raised, preparing to strike at his husband.

Jason's hands weren't free yet, as the gutted soldier was in his last moments of futile battle.

Tommy shot off like a gun. He was further away than he liked. Could he make it in time? He yelled out a frustrated battle cry, but the soldier was heedless of the danger behind him. Putting on speed that felt similar to what he was capable of in his Zeo days, Tommy closed the distance and raised his sword. He slammed the blade down viciously on the soldier's right arm. It severed, though not at all clean. The man stopped abruptly, screaming out a blood curdling cry of pain-infused torment. Tommy took another swing. There was a loud _thunk_ as the blade imbedded itself into the soldier's back. The screaming stopped instantly, and the red-and-black clad body slumped to the ground, blade and all.

Tommy's stomach heaved. Looking around briefly, he saw that all of the soldiers were slain. No more were in sight.

Good.

The former Red Zeo Ranger bent over and threw up.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked after the episode was over.

Tommy nodded, wiping at his mouth. "You?"

"Yeah. You saved my ass, man. What's with the hair, though?"

For the first time since the fight began, Tommy met eye contact with Jason. His husband wore a confused expression.

Tommy reached up and felt his hair. Did it get too wild during the fight? It didn't feel like it was too messy. He shrugged. "Does it look okay?"

A lone eyebrow arched slightly. Jason's mouth curved up in an amused smirk. His shoulders rose and fell in indifference. "Sure. Don't know why you have it, but whatever."

That was an odd response from his husband. If Tommy's nerves weren't still on edge from the recent fight that had threatened his lover's life, he might have questioned those words, but he was still trying to process that Jason was alive and unharmed.

"You're really okay?" Tommy inquired, almost demanded. His eyes beseeched Jason's.

Jason's expression shifted to half bemusement, half why-are-you-asking-me-this-again. "Yeah man, you saved my bacon, it's all good."

Tommy almost wanted to throttle how stubborn and over-confident his husband could be. What kind of response was _that_?

Jason looked around at the massacred mess between them. He let out a low whistle, eyes resting on the final soldier that Tommy more or less hacked up. "You were brutal, dude."

The pricking of anger stabbed at Tommy over his husband's casual attitude. "They were going to kill you," he said hotly, pointing an accusing finger at the corpse with the lodged blade in his back.

Jason's eyes widened, his eyebrows going up in surprise. "They didn't, though, thanks to you," he said calmly, looking at Tommy warily.

"Exactly! I did what I had to do in order to protect you!" Tommy fired back, annoyed at Jason's strange lack of sincerity.

Jason held up his hands in a gesture of pacification. "Relax, man. I get it, don't worry about it. I was just making a statement. We're all in this together, remember? Geez, you're wound up."

Tommy bristled at those words. Jason was doing a poor job of making him feel better about things. Suddenly, the distance between them was too much. "Wound up?" Tommy asked incredulously, stepping right up into his husband's face. Warm brown eyes went wide, and his lover took an instinctive step backwards. Tommy inched closer. "Of course I'm wound up! We showed up here in God-knows-where, and I saw some soldiers attempt to kill you!" He reached out and cupped the back of Jason's head in a strong grip. Those brown eyes went even wider. "I saw you die once already, Jason," Tommy continued on in a low, stricken tone. Fire was in his eyes. "I am _not_ watching that _ever_ again. I love you too damn much, you hear?"

With that, Tommy drew a very reluctant and almost resistant Jason into a fierce hug, cupping the back of his head and burying against his neck, needing to feel that strong pulse of life beating from inside.

Idly Tommy wondered why Jason's arms remained by his side and why his body was so rigid. He'd long ago lost that kind of aversion of touch from Tommy. Perhaps something in this battle triggered an emotional reaction to the rapes. The soldier's pulling of the hair, perhaps? Either way, it didn't matter. Tommy needed to hold his husband and be assured that Jason really was okay.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he felt Jason relax. Arms awkwardly reached around his torso. It felt like mountains of space still lay in-between them.

"You really feel that way?" Jason whispered softly, his voice full of awe and disbelief.

"Of course, Sunshine," Tommy reassured him, confused. What kind of hell had his husband mentally travelled to and back? "I've always loved you. You know that."

There was a moment of strained silence. Jason's hands closed fractionally tighter around Tommy. "I had hoped," Jason whispered, his voice straining with repressed emotion. "And part of me guessed, but I wasn't ever really sure. God Thomas, you chose a hell of a time to say something. If the others find out. . ."

Wait, what? Thomas? Jason had never called him that before. What did he mean if the others found out?

"Holy mother of hell! What the fuck is going on?!" a male voice suddenly called out.

Jason jumped a mile high and sprung several feet apart from Tommy in lightning quick motion, snapping his head so fast Tommy was amazed he didn't sustain whiplash.

"Jesus Zach!" Jason grumped.

Tommy whipped his head, eyes widening in surprise. There, up the dirt street a little ways, was his old friend Zach, and also Trini. Wow, did she look different. Her upper body sported some clear definition of honed muscle, which was odd for such a small framed physique. Her long glossy hair was cropped so short he almost mistook her for a man at first glance. A scar worked its way from her high left cheek bone down to her jawline near her mouth.

Zach too, sported small differences in his appearance. His hair was pulled back in dread locks, though they didn't hang loose like how he'd had them when attending Tommy and Jason's wedding. He too was more muscular in build and sported various scars, and a fresh wound on the cheek that was oozing blood.

What was most different was his body language. Tommy wasn't staring at his carefree, it's-all-good-in-the-universe buddy. Dark eyes were throwing questioning daggers in his direction.

All of this Tommy observed in an instant. And in that same instant, his surprised smile turned into alarm at seeing his old friends and their new appearance. "Zach?! Trini?! You guys are here too?"

Zach didn't return the smile or show any sign of happiness. He ignored Tommy's question. He raised his own, eyes burning with demand. "What the fuck did I just see? And what's with the hair? I saw you ten minutes ago. You didn't have that."

Tommy stared at Zach in confused shock. _What_? He looked to Trini, but she gave nothing away. Her face was impassive. She stared at Tommy, expecting a response.

Tommy raked his hands through his hair. Did it really look that bad? Why was that a highlight for his friends to point out?

Tommy drew breath, about ready to ask what the hell was going on, but Jason spoke first. His tone was irritated, but there was a clear note of worry in it. "It wasn't what you're thinking, Zach. I was almost toast a minute ago. Thomas came and saved my ass. He was just. . . um, making sure I was okay." Zach stared at his husband in disbelief, not responding. Jason cleared his throat nervously. "Did you get Robby?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

Zach's burning gaze went back to Tommy. He lifted an accusing finger. "I saw _you_ with him. Don't tell me you fucked up and they took off with him again. We risked our lives for that piece of shit."

Whoa, _what?_

"I've got him Zach. Chill, okay?" responded a very familiar voice behind Zach. Everyone turned. Tommy's eyes widened in disbelief as the man came into view. "Why is everyone just standing around and. . ." the man fell silent as he looked away from Zach and locked eyes with Tommy.

Holy hell.

Tommy was staring at. . . himself. Equal expressions of shock registered on both faces. It was like looking in a mirror. . . except his mirror image had short spiky hair.

Vaguely, the hair comments sort of began to make sense. Still, that didn't help answer why he was staring at someone who looked exactly like him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jason's eyes widen with surprised shock, looking from one to the other, his face registering incredulous astonishment.

Tommy turned toward his husband, his expression showing the same bewilderment. He didn't like the few paces that Jason took away from him, or the way those cheeks flushed to bright red with embarrassment.

Jason was embarrassed? Tommy instinctively reached out toward his husband's retreating form and felt the sharp sting of pain at seeing his lover all but jump away.

"What's going on, Jay?" Tommy's counterpart asked, witnessing the exchange.

Wait, _Jay?_

His husband was shaking his head vehemently, anxiety and fear ablaze in his eyes. "I have no idea. I thought he was you. He jumped in and saved my ass. I thought. . . I thought he was _you_," Jason's last words were an awed whisper.

What was Jason talking about? He felt his heart plummet as he watched his husband walk up next to Zach, who was wide eyed and slack jawed. Trini was shrewdly eyeing him. Why did he get the feeling he was suddenly very alone in a very, very strange place?

"Jason?" Tommy asked his husband, eyes pleading their confusion.

Jason's eyebrows knit together. He shook his head minutely. "Jay," he corrected softly.

Jason had never gone by Jay. Why did this small correction seem like such a significant sign to something ominous?

Tommy's counterpart fixed him with a stern glare. "Who are you?"

From behind Tommy stepped another familiar figure. Rocky. He looked in pretty miserable condition. His face was bruised and it looked like he'd recently suffered a bloody nose. His clothes were dirty and scratched, and there were marks on his wrists.

Tommy's heart dropped further. "Rocky, are you okay?"

His friend's eyes widened, but there was no recognition in those irises. Rocky wore the same confused expression as everyone else.

Tommy's twin didn't let Rocky answer. "He isn't Rocky, he's Robby. Answer my question," he demanded. "Who are you?"

It was _so_ strange to be looking into the eyes of someone who looked exactly like himself. In fact, he didn't know how he knew, but Tommy was certain this man was not a twin. This man was also Tommy. "I think you know the answer," he spoke softly but firmly. He pointed a finger at himself and then at his likeness. "I'm Tommy. I'm you."

Tommy Two narrowed his eyes. Yes, he knew too. "I go by Thomas," he said tightly. "Not Tommy. I don't have a twin. You're an imposter."

Okay, so Tommy Two – aka Thomas – knew, but the man didn't want to believe it. Hell, Tommy didn't want to either. He shook his head. "I don't have a twin either. But I'm not an imposter. I was brought here, but I have no idea how, and I don't know by whom."

Sudden movement caught everyone's eye. Turning, they saw the woman that Tommy had saved from rape dragging the fallen soldier's body outside her home, past her front door. She dragged him several more feet before dropping him unceremoniously to the ground. She then stood and leveled a disdainful look at Tommy.

"So you _are_ a Crusader, then. I knew it." She waved her arms like she was shooing away an unwanted creature. "Be gone, all of you! Your cause isn't welcomed here. We didn't ask for you."

Zach bared his teeth and let out a low growl. He took a few menacing steps toward the woman, whose eyes grew big and fearful. She let out a small shriek and scampered inside her home, shutting the door as quickly as she could. There was the sound of a bolted lock being drawn from within.

Zach's feral expression instantly faded, replaced by a pleased smile. It too lasted only a second before he turned serious, turning toward Tommy Two. . . er, Thomas. He spoke in a low tone. "She's right, Tom, we've got Shithead," he jerked his head toward Rocky/Robby, who gave him an instant scowl, and continued on, unperturbed. "We need to go. We can't play twenty questions right now."

For the first time, Trini spoke up. "We're not leaving him behind. We have to take him with us," she said to Thomas, motioning toward Tommy.

Zach was the one to respond. "Baby, I'm not sure we can trust him. Just because they look alike. . ."

"He recognizes us," Trini countered. "Knows our names. There's too much at risk here. We can't afford another mistake."

That mollified Zach into silence. Thomas leveled his gaze back onto Tommy. "Are you really one of us, like that woman claimed?"

Zach let out a snort of derision, not letting Tommy answer. "Do you really think he'd say _no_ at this point?" Thomas' eyes narrowed, considering that. Zach continued, "Trini's right, we can't let him go. But he comes as a prisoner until he proves otherwise. I don't trust him."

Tommy felt like he was being put on some kind of blind trial by friends who weren't acting at all like the friends he knew. Where the _hell_ was he? It was like 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' or something. He opened his mouth to make a plea, but once again was cut off.

"I trust him," came a soft reply from Jason. . . Jay, whatever.

All eyes turned to the person Tommy wanted to believe was his husband. Chocolate brown eyes were looking steadily at him.

Zach piped up sarcastically. "Sure you do. You guys were having some kind of cozy pow-wow or something when I showed up. What the fuck was that?"

Jay glared at Zach, his cheeks blushing crimson. His mouth hardened. "Never mind, jackass," he replied through gritted teeth. His eyes turned toward Thomas. "He jumped out of nowhere, saved my ass twice, and knocked the shit out of most of the Guard," he dipped his head toward the mound of fallen soldiers behind Tommy. "I was outnumbered. No one else was around. He could've killed me and been done with it, but he helped out. I don't know what's going on, but I don't believe for a moment he's working for Ravindra."

Something warm opened up and blossomed inside of Tommy's stomach, lifting his heart. _This_ was the man he knew. Had Jason been placed under some spell, perhaps? Those brown eyes didn't rest on him, though. Instead, they bore into Thomas, who gazed intently back. No one was saying anything. A look was exchanged between the two of them. They were sharing a private conversation.

Tommy knew that look. It was a special look. And it was a special conversation. But Jason wasn't having it with Tommy. He was having it with Thomas.

That warm blossom inside started to flutter and wilt with concern. A despairing thought was beginning to manifest itself.

If Tommy was in a strange place where there was a living breathing duplicate version of himself. . . could it be possible that the Jason he thought he was staring at really wasn't _his_ Jason?

That Jason really was. . . _Jay?_

"Tick tock, guys," Robby said, speaking for the first time. "We gotta go."

Zach's face screwed up instantly. He rounded on Robby. "Man, be careful who you _tick tock_ to," he warned. "If it was up to me, I'd tick tock your ass right back to the Guard."

"_Chill_, Zach," Thomas ordered, a note of irritation in his strong voice.

Robby and Zach scowled at each other, but no one said anything more. Trini stepped up and placed a hand on Zach's shoulder. He looked at her, and the anger in his eyes slowly faded. He took a deep breath, nodding at something privately shared between them.

"You need to make a decision, Thomas," Trini said in a low tone. "And fast. We've lingered too long already."

Thomas nodded, breaking eye contact with Jay. He looked at Tommy, his expression grave. "Do you swear to fight for justice and liberty in the war against Ravindra's tyranny?"

Reflexively Tommy looked to Jason. Something flashed in those warm brown eyes, urging him to say yes.

Tommy looked back into Thomas' authoritative eyes. "I don't know who Ravindra is, but I don't condone tyranny. I have fought for justice and liberty where I come from. I'll fight for it here, too. Yes, I swear."

There was a heavy pause as two identical men stared each other down, trying to size the other up.

Finally, Thomas nodded. "You come with us, then. As a Crusader. Not as a prisoner."

Zach opened his mouth to retort, but Trini elbowed him in the ribs. She nodded at Thomas, ignoring Zach's sulking protest. Grabbing his hand as a placating gesture, she directed her words toward Thomas. "Let's go then."

Tommy breathed out a silent sigh of relief. He didn't know what it was, but he knew he had passed some kind of test among them.

"Let's meet back up with the girls at rendezvous point," Thomas agreed. He made to move, but stopped, questioning something in Tommy's appearance.

"Where's your sword?"

Tommy felt heat rise to his cheeks. "Um. . ." he began uncertainly, looking back toward the fallen soldier with the blade lodged into his back.

A small smirk crossed Thomas' lips, gazing at the fallen soldier. He nodded appreciatively. "Very nice. Grab one of the other Guard's swords then. Everyone, restock on weapons if you need. We're off."


	5. There's a Lot to Talk About

**Author's notes:**

Happy New Year everyone! My new year's resolution for the year: work on getting published. Therefore, I'm sorry this story isn't getting the attention and devotion I would otherwise give it, but be patient with me. Here's a new chapter!

Ghostwriter: Thank you much :)

xxSt0Rm3yyxx: Mwahaha, the plot thickens! You may have to do what I did and reread the last chapter in order to jar your memory for the new one, but glad you are enjoying the twist.

Happy reading everyone. As always, I welcome reviews and positive criticism :)

* * *

**Chapter 5: There's A Lot To Talk About**

"All right, the parameters are set. Kimmy, you can take the blindfold off," came Thomas' tired voice.

A few seconds later, Kimmy's hands went about untying Tommy's blindfold and whisked it off his face. The dim color of dusk and wooded trees and shrubbery opened up before Tommy's eyes. He had to blink and squint a few times to properly adjust to his surroundings. They had been traveling through thick forest all day – well, under a blindfold, that's what it felt like, anyway. He could see now that it was a safe assumption.

Kimberly was studying him closely. Wait, no, it was Kimmy, not Kimberly. She'd put up a fit when he addressed her by her full name. She'd scrunched up her nose when he tried to correct the issue by calling her Kim. It was strictly Kimmy, nothing else.

And like the other people that looked like his friends but weren't, Kimmy treated him with the same cautiously distant attitude.

There was a touch of sympathy in her eyes as she stared at him. When he looked at her, she smiled guiltily and blushed. "Sorry about the security and theatrics, but. . ." she shrugged, leaving the sentence hanging.

Tommy smiled politely at her. "I get it. You guys need to be careful. I just hope to earn your trust and figure out what the hell I'm doing here."

Kimmy nodded her agreement. "I think that last bit is something we can all agree on. Thirsty?"

"Parched," Tommy replied emphatically.

Kimmy reached out and handed her water pouch to Tommy. "Have the rest. There's a creek just down the way, so we can all refill," she told him.

He drank deeply. The water was a little warm after the full day's travel, but it glided down his throat like liquid heaven.

What a day it had been. This morning he had awoken in bed with his husband, got unpleasantly called in to work and was sitting at his desk just working on scheduling when he suddenly found himself in someone else's home, answering to a woman's terrified scream. A soldier was about ready to rape a very unwilling woman and had threatened to kill both her and Tommy. Anger flared up.

For the first time in his life, Tommy had killed a man.

The death toll only went up from there.

He'd heard Jason screaming outside and went into a blind rage when he saw his husband almost murdered in front of him. Again. How many soldiers had he killed during that round? He didn't rightly know.

That hadn't been the end of it, either.

He'd killed more soldiers later, after meeting friends who looked like his friends but didn't act like ones. They hung close to Thomas, who was a mirror image of Tommy in every way. Except the hair was short and spiky. It looked. . . weird.

Tommy found out Jason wasn't _his_ Jason, but was Jay, a precise mirror image of his husband who he hugged and professed his love to, and who had seemed to reciprocate back. However, Jay had since avoided any kind of physical touch from that point on. Zach had caught them in their embrace and raised a disgusted and bewildered eye at it.

Zach. . . Zach seemed the most changed out of everyone else. He was hard edged and cynical. And very, very suspicious of Tommy.

Everyone thought Tommy could be some kind of spy. He wasn't, and for a moment, he thought he had their trust. Jason. . . er, Jay, had endorsed him because of the fight they engaged in together. Thomas had made him swear to fight alongside them as a Crusader, which he'd agreed to do.

That had appeased them.

Well, most of them.

Something changed their minds, though, when they were jumped at the outskirts of Wispy Willow. Tommy saw the soldiers at the same time Thomas did; they drew their swords simultaneously and fronted the attack. At the end of the onslaught, there were a bare few that fled, but the rest of the soldiers were slain. It was a battle Tommy wished he could wipe from his memory. Everyone carried a brutal edge to their fighting that wasn't pretty to watch. It was very effective, however. Robby had contributed the least amount to the carnage due to previous injuries he had sustained. That seemed to goad Zach into a verbal harassment, and the two went after each other. Thomas and Trini broke them up. Trini seemed to be the only one capable of soothing Zach back into a rational state of mind.

However, the only thing that truly calmed this hard edged man was the insistence that Tommy be blindfolded before they continued their retreat past the village. It had spooked Zach, the similarities between Tommy and Thomas. It wasn't natural, he'd said. And if it wasn't natural, then he insisted it was sorcery that came from Ravindra. It was a compelling argument that made everyone, Jay included, look Tommy twice over.

Ravindra. Tommy still didn't rightly know who she was. He just knew that she was a tyrant ruler who bore a strict hand over the land's inhabitants. The Crusaders, his friends who weren't his friends, rebelled against her. She wanted total domination. They wanted freedom. That much had been explained when Kat and Kimberly showed up, moments after the battle had finished and Zach chose to run his anger from Robby onto Tommy. But Kat wasn't Kat, and Kimberly wasn't Kimberly. They were Katie and Kimmy.

Another attack would have awaited everyone further up, but the girls had the vantage point near the rendezvous spot and had stopped what never started. If it hadn't been for that, they would have joined the battle sooner.

As it were, a whole party of familiar faces with unfamiliar attitudes stared at him, besieging him with questions that he could only answer with questions of his own. But it still wasn't the time or place to really try and figure out what was going on. They were on the edge of the village, exposed and in open view among an onslaught of soldiers that guarded a town who had willingly acquiesced to Ravindra's rule. Their single advantage was that the village hadn't been prepared for an attack. That was soon changing.

It went back to the blindfold idea. Tommy didn't like it. Though these people looked like his friends, they clearly weren't. But he'd caught sight of Jason, er, Jay, and there was something in that man's expression that told Tommy to trust them.

So without knowing quite why, he submitted to their suspicions. And as he was lead around blindly with care for his safety, it allowed him to think about why these familiar faces were taking the cautious road.

This wasn't Earth as he knew it. And though he looked very much like Thomas, he wasn't leader of the Crusaders. Jay had initially made that assumption, but not anymore. Tommy was a stranger. Identical to Thomas, but different. The long hair was definite proof of that. Zach had, rather obstinately and thoroughly, tested its solid anchor on Tommy's head.

And suddenly, he knew what they were waiting for. Especially Thomas. He saw the way those identical brown eyes studied and analyzed him.

They were waiting to see if Tommy would expose himself as an evil imposter who was seeking to destroy them.

If he had been back at the Youth Center in his office and Thomas had suddenly shown up in front of him, he would have been looking for the same thing.

So, different though these groups of friends-but-not-friends were, they were all still good people who were fighting the good fight.

Blindfolded, but not bound, Tommy allowed himself to surrender to whatever made them feel comfortable about being an ally instead of a threat.

That led him here, in the middle of a woodsy area, where his Crusader comrades had set up a parameter of magical stones that shielded them from enemy sight. He effectively had no idea where he was, and if he was an enemy himself, he was assured by the others that they would kill him before he got far enough away to summon any help.

Oh the joys of feeling safe among friends.

Tommy handed the empty water pouch back to Kimmy, and proceeded to help in whatever way he was allowed in setting up a temporary camp. Zach fixed him with a shrewd stare anytime they made eye contact, so he made sure to keep a healthy distance from the man. Idly, he made note that everyone else gave him a wide berth as well.

Just when he was about to surrender his feet to a much needed rest, Trini approached him, her expression serious. He noticed the others gathering around her. He regarded them all warily, saying nothing. Something was up.

Trini took a deep breath, holding out her fisted hands. "Hold these," she instructed, opening her fingers to reveal a round white stone in each palm.

"Why?" Tommy asked suspiciously.

Trini said nothing. She simply held out her hands and waited.

Instinctively, Tommy looked to Jason for answers. Those brown eyes shifted uneasily to the ground, cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment. A flare of impatience lit within Tommy, but he stuffed it down. Right, that was Jay, not Jason. That wasn't his husband.

Sighing with resignation, Tommy held out his hands.

Trini placed one stone in each hand, making him hold them with palms facing upward.

"We need to know we can trust you," Trini began without preamble. "I'm going to ask some questions. You need to answer honestly. Do you understand?"

Tommy examined the stones in his hands. Then he looked up into Trini's dark eyes, questioning. "I think so. This is a test?"

Trini nodded. "Say yes or no. Do you know where you are right now in this current location?"

Tommy furrowed his brows. "No."

The stones in his palms grew warm suddenly. He glanced down. His eyes widened at the blue hue that was suddenly radiating softly from them. His eyes snapped up to Trini in surprised shock. She too was looking at the color, though her face remained impassive. She was giving nothing away.

Were these stones some kind of lie detector test?

"Do you know who we are?"

Tommy opened his mouth but faltered. "I thought I did. But I don't know now."

Trini's lips pursed slightly. "Yes or no."

Tommy shifted his feet uncomfortably. He searched out Jay's eyes once more. This time those soft brown eyes didn't turn away. The face that was staring back at Tommy held no emotion. No love or compassion. No mirth or laughter.

Tommy could distinguish one thing, however. Fear lurked in those irises. So did shame.

Tommy frowned, shrugging slightly. "I guess I'm gonna have to go with no."

All eyes looked down at the stones. A soft bluish hue glowed steadily.

"But you seem to recognize us."

Tommy's gaze went back toward Trini. "Yes."

"Have you been spying on us?"

"No," he replied steadily.

Trini stared at the stones and their steady blue color. A flicker of confusion crossed her features. "Do you know Thomas?"

"No."

The stones flickered red briefly, but went back to blue.

"Do you want him dead?"

"No!" Tommy said emphatically, shocked at the question.

The stones instantly sparked to a brilliant blue and crackled. They grew hot in his hands for a few brief seconds before settling back to a comfortably warm temperature.

"Do you work for Ravindra?" Trini continued, acting like she hadn't seen the sudden display.

"I don't know who she is, so no," Tommy replied.

"Do you know what you are doing here?" Trini fired away, hardly pausing for breath after any of Tommy's responses.

"No."

"Was it your intention to protect Jay when you fought against the other soldiers?"

Tommy's eyes heated. "Yes," he answered emphatically.

"Did you desire to kill him yourself?"

"Hell no!"

Again, the stones crackled, glowing bright blue.

"Do you wish to control people and take over the land?"

Tommy's eyes widened. "No!"

Blue light flared up a third time.

Trini barreled on. "Do you swear to fight against tyranny?"

"I've already answered yes to that."

Trini ignored him. "Do you fight for justice and freedom?"

"Yes."

"Do you swear to fight with us, to protect us as if we were your own flesh and blood?"

Tommy's head automatically lifted, tall and proud. "Yes."

The stones were an uncomfortable blazing inferno in his palms.

"Is Zach an asshole?"

Tommy hesitated for a brief moment before answering, "No." The stone's brilliant blue color faded to red. Tommy felt his cheeks redden.

"Hey!" Zach cried out.

Trini smirked, her face instantly relaxing. The smile she flashed completely transformed her. "Sorry Baby," she said, though her tone didn't really indicate she meant the words. "You've been sort of acting like one. Had to make sure the stones were revealing accurate results."

Robby, Katie, and Kimmy all let out a small snort of laughter. Zach glared. He walked over and slugged Robby in the arm. The man's bruised face contorted with pain as he stumbled back a step. His face screwed up further as he lurched forward, his other arm swinging, but Jay and Thomas were quick to step in between the two and prevent a fight from breaking out.

"Son of a bitch, man!" Robby swore out, resigning the fight and angrily shrugging off Jay's attempts at holding him back. "I'm sorry, all right? Believe me, I've paid my dues for screwing up. Back the hell away from me."

Zach scowled, pushing up against Thomas' arms. "Do us an even bigger favor and don't screw anything with a vagina for the rest of your fucking life, okay? That way you don't rat us out to any more spies you fucking moron!"

"Hey, I did _not_ know she was a spy, jackass!"

"No shit! Did you think whores would have the word spy tattooed on their pussies or something?"

"Why you—" Robby began, but he was cut off.

"ENOUGH!" Thomas yelled out loud enough for a few birds to take flight in a nearby tree.

Thomas was breathing hard, his face screwed up with a dark, scathing expression. Holy shit, he looked like a force to be reckoned with. The man was livid.

Those fearsome eyes turned to Robby, who had the decency to blanch. Thomas' voice was low and forceful. "You and I are going to have a talk later. We are on the precipice of war and your dick and your mouth nearly lost it for us. We _cannot_ afford to save your ass like that again." He then rounded and turned his withering stare onto Zach. "And Zach? For the umpteenth time, _chill_. You've made your voice clear all along. We _all_ feel similarly, but so help me God, pull your anger together and save it for the battles. Remember the true cause of our fight." Thomas jerked his head to the right. "Go. Take a walk or something. Stay within the parameters we set. Let off steam. Do whatever, as long as it doesn't leave a noticeable trail that the Guard could follow us by. When you come back, be _calm_."

It was clear by the tone of voice that Thomas wasn't to be questioned. Zach's expression had faded from scowling to that of a petulant child unwillingly scolded. He turned a wounded look toward Trini. "Thanks a lot," he muttered as he turned to walk away.

"Baby," Trini started to say, reaching for his hand.

"Don't," Zach ground out, whipping his arm away and stalking off.

After his form could no longer be seen through the trees and the sounds of his feet died away, Trini let out a sigh of relief. Turning to Tommy, she rewarded him with a tired, bemused smile, and took the stones away from his hands. They had faded back to white.

"Welcome to our friendly little club," she said wearily. "You joined at sort of a bad time. We're not normally this uptight and petty."

"Not all of us are assholes, either," Kimmy supplied, smiling warmly.

Trini's smile drooped. She sobered a little. "No, we're not. Zach normally isn't either. But, well, today. . . he was." She shrugged apologetically.

Tommy smiled, though he had a feeling it conveyed more of his shock than anything else. "So. . . does this mean I passed the test? You guys trust me now?"

There was a heavy pause. Everyone's eyes flitted from one to another, gathering the silent answer. Finally it was Thomas who stepped forward, offering his hand. "Yeah, we do. I have to admit, it's really weird to see someone who looks just like me. Because of the circumstances, I hope you understand why we had to take the precautions we did, but we could sure use another Crusader."

Tommy took the proffered hand, shaking hands and sealing the deal. "Well, I'm sure hoping someone here can explain the circumstances to me, so that way I _can_ understand better. But I'm happy to help."

Kat. . . er, Katie, spoke up for the first time. "Yeah, I think we're all needing some answers. Let's eat first, though. I'm famished."

Everyone murmured their assent.

* * *

The last embers of light were shining in the sky. Pretty soon complete darkness would fall over the camp. No fire was to be lit, for fear of giving away their location to the enemy. The magic stones that concealed them from enemy eyes could only do so much. Zach hadn't returned yet. Hopefully he would before darkness truly set in.

Idly, Tommy couldn't help but turn a curious stare toward the area where Thomas and Robby were talking in hushed tones together. By the looks of it, Robby was getting scolded non-too-gently. The man locked eyes with Tommy, and the former Power Ranger quickly looked away, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment at being caught staring.

Tommy anxiously popped the last bite of bread in his mouth. This meal, he'd learned with a heavy heart, had consisted of food the Crusaders had managed to steal from the guards of Wispy Willow. When he protested the wrongness of the act, the others had looked at him with quizzical stares.

"We're not exactly close to home," Kimmy had explained. "You take what you can get when you're at war."

Tommy mulled over those words as he chewed, and suddenly felt eyes on him. He looked up and saw Katie staring at him. In fact, she'd probably been watching him observe Thomas and Robby. He felt his cheeks redden a little bit further.

She smiled in good humor. "Must be weird to find out there's someone who looks just like you, huh?" she asked.

Tommy smiled sheepishly. Yes, it was, but that hadn't been the reason he was staring. "Um, yeah, it is," he began politely. He paused, deciding whether or not to ask what was really on his mind. Inwardly he shrugged. If he wanted answers. . .

"Actually, I was just wondering what it is they're talking about. I don't understand why you guys don't like Robby. He made a mistake or something? I don't get it."

Katie shared a private glance with Kimmy, who was sitting right next to her, munching on her last few bites of cheddar. Jay sat on Kimmy's other side. His eyes were closed and he made like he was sleeping, but Tommy suspected the man was very much paying attention. He hadn't said a word directly to Tommy since the attack in the village.

Kimmy nodded to Katie, silently agreeing to something. Katie turned back to Tommy and spoke softly. "We like Robby, but yeah, you could say he screwed up big time."

Kimmy snorted. "Screwed is right," she said with bitter humor.

Katie shook her head in irritated agreement. She saw the look of confusion on Tommy's face and began explaining. "He slept with a whore who just so happened to be a spy. He opened his big fat mouth about being a Crusader, so he was kidnapped by the Royal Guard. They were taking him to Lady Ravindra to be questioned and tortured. We couldn't really let that happen. It was a huge risk to rescue him, so yeah, we're all pretty pissed off at him right now. He set us back big time."

Tommy didn't say anything for a moment. He let his mind wander back to all the snippety comments from Zach. Huh. "That makes a little more sense now, what with Zach's back biting and the frosty stares," he thought aloud. He had to admit, he could understand the anger. A little bit of the puzzle had worked into place, but there were still pieces missing. "How did this set you guys back?"

Katie shifted uncomfortably, again looking to Kimmy with a should-we-tell-him expression. Kimmy looked at Tommy, studying him. She bit her lower lip, chewing on it for a moment before releasing it. Decidedly, she said, "We were on a mission to get something that could help tip the odds of the war in our favor. But now we'll have the Royal Guard trailing our scent, so we'll have to play cat and mouse until we can lose them. Precious time has been thrown away, just like that." She snapped her fingers.

"What are you guys after that you think will help you?"

Once more, the girls looked at each other. Before they could think to answer, however, Jay's voice surprisingly sprang into the air.

"You really don't know who Ravindra is?"

Tommy's eyes whipped toward soft chocolate brown ones that stared quizzically at him. Slowly, he shook his head. He had the desire to make a quip about successfully answering that question during the lie detector test, but he bit back the words. Instead, he gave his honest answer.

"I've never heard of her before."

Jay continued to stare at him, searching. "Then why were you in Wispy Willow, a village that's under her rule?"

Tommy shrugged. "I told you earlier, I just showed up in that woman's home. Right before that moment, I was sitting at a desk in my office working when this really weird hook-like feeling just grabbed at my gut, and then—" Tommy smacked his hands together. "Wham! I was in someone's bedroom, hearing a lady scream. You know the rest."

Jay's brows knit together. "So you were pulled here from somewhere else. Where were you?"

_This_ was the question no one had asked Tommy yet. He was eager to compare his own environment to theirs. "I was at our – um, I mean— my gym that me and Jason own. In Angel Grove. It's a city, a much bigger city. Not a village at all. There isn't a Wispy Willow or a tyrant ruler there. It's very different from here. I'm from Earth."

Tommy waited, expecting to hear that his mirror-image husband who wasn't his husband was from another planet.

"We're from Earth, too. This is that planet," Jay explained.

Tommy's heart sunk a little. It really would have been easier to believe he'd been transported to a different planet where there was somehow a petri-dish duplicate version of his friends. It was a creepy idea, but nonetheless, an easier one to swallow than the other suspicion that was forming in his mind. "If this is Earth, then –"

"You're from an alternate universe," Trini's voice finished from behind him.

Tommy turned around, surprised. How long had she been standing there? She'd left to go take care of bodily needs, but he never heard her approaching footsteps from behind.

"What?" he asked.

From behind Trini, Thomas and Robby were walking up and joining her, having finished their conversation. Robby's expression was soured.

Trini continued, shifting so that she was addressing the whole group. "An alternate universe makes the most sense. You and Thomas look identical. Well," she paused, eyeing Tommy's hair. "Except for the hair. Both of you insist you aren't twins. You, Tommy, seem to recognize us, but not all of our names quite match. You don't know about Ravindra. We don't know about this gym of yours. But this is Earth, and it seems the environments are totally different. You mentioned a feeling of getting pulled from one place to another. So," Trini shrugged, "alternate universe."

There was heavy silence that fell as everyone digested that bit of information. Crazy as it sounded, it also made the most sense. Maybe she was right.

Jay spoke what everyone was thinking. "The question is, why?"

From a few feet away, Zach's voice spoke up. "We're at war. I'm sure it has to do with that. We'll find out soon enough."

Seven heads turned toward Zach. His hands were shoved deep in the pockets of his black pants. His mouth was set in a grim line, but he looked fractionally calmer. He approached Thomas, muttering softly. "I'm good." He leveled a disdainful look at Robby. "Keep _him_ away from me, and I'll stay that way."

He brushed past Thomas, not waiting for a response. He passed by Trini, ignoring her hand reaching out for him, and sat down next to Jay, grabbing at his ration of food that had been set aside for him. He began eating ravenously, oblivious to the tension his presence radiated through the air.

Tommy cleared his throat, wanting to get back to the topic at hand. "So let me see if I've got this straight. This Lady Ravindra is a tyrant ruler over the land. You guys are fighting against her for your freedom and liberty. You just rescued Robby from getting kidnapped from her Guard, and that's where I showed up." He paused, thinking. "Could it be possible I was somehow summoned because you needed help?"

Seven faces looked from one to another, assessing the possibility of that scenario.

Thomas spoke up. "He's got a point there. Did anyone summon him?"

Seven pairs of eyes searched the other, questioning.

Trini spoke after a beat. "None of us would have had that kind of power."

"It's the advantage we need though, having magic like that," Kimmy added.

"That's the quest we were on before horny toad decided to trust a whore," Zach grumbled in between a mouthful of bread.

Robby glowered.

Thomas sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Zach. . ."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm _calm_, okay? The truth needed repeating, that's all."

Tension once again emanated from the group. This alternate Zach was much more harsh than the one Tommy knew. What happened to make the man so hard edged?

That question would have to wait for another time though. A suspicion was beginning to voice itself. "Are you guys the only ones fighting for liberty and freedom?"

The Crusaders slowly shook their heads.

"So where are the rest of the people wanting to fight?"

"Back at our home base, gathering weapons and preparing. This was a rescue mission. We needed small numbers, not big." Thomas answered.

Tommy mulled that information over in his mind. "Okay, so," he said slowly, gathering his thoughts, "you have numbers, but you're still looking for more?"

"We could always use more," Thomas replied, his tone a bit defensive.

"Because you're up against a powerful ruler?"

Thomas nodded, his eyes questioning where Tommy was going with the inquiry.

"So you're on the search for something that can help give you more strength?"

Another nod, wary this time.

Tommy hesitated. He didn't know how he knew, but he just knew.

Taking a deep breath, Tommy plunged forward. "Is there such a thing as Power Rangers here?"

Something flashed in Thomas' eyes. He didn't answer.

"You've heard of the name, though," Tommy pressed. "I can tell."

Thomas regarded him intently, assessing whether or not to say anything. Finally, very softly, he said, "Yes. We're seeking someone we believe can obtain that Power for us."

"Is his name Zordon?"

Thomas' eyes widened. He stared at Tommy with dumbfounded disbelief. "How do you know that name?"

Tommy suppressed a smile. "Because I know him. Where I'm from, I've been a Power Ranger. So have all of you. And Zordon was our mentor. "

* * *

Tommy stared up at the night sky, his head too full for sleep. A multitude of stars peaked out from among the foliage of branches overhead. It was breathtaking, but he couldn't summon the desire to admire the beauty in his surroundings. There was no fire for warmth, so Tommy was lying on the cold forest floor in an extra bed roll his newfound Crusader friends had. Initially, all of their survival equipment had been left in a specially chosen hiding place while they made their rescue attempt in Wispy Willow for Robby. This particular bed roll had belonged to another of their group.

A fallen Crusader.

Tanya.

Tommy's heart ached at that news. They'd lost her last week. Even though she wasn't the Tanya _he_ knew, it felt like a loss all the same.

And Jason. . .

God, Jason.

Tommy's heart especially ached for that man. He was a whole universe away. He must be worried sick with grief by now at Tommy's prolonged absence.

What he wouldn't give for that strong warm body to be cuddled up to him in this bed roll, sharing heat and sharing comfort.

That idea reminded him of long ago, when they were trapped in a cave together and snuggled up for warmth, freezing cold and bone weary. The experience they shared in that place forever changed things for them.

A piercing sorrow stabbed at Tommy's gut. Would he ever see Jason again? He had no idea how he'd gotten here. The others didn't have a clue, either. If he didn't know how he got here, how would he be able to find his way back?

To make the problem worse, he wasn't sure how soon he could even try to make that happen. He was needed here. For whatever reason he had shown up in this alternate universe, it was clear that he had shown up at a time and place among familiar friends who needed help to win a war.

A revolutionary war.

For freedom. For liberty. For peace.

God he wished Jason was here.

Their lives were supposed to be normal. They weren't Power Rangers anymore. But if there was freedom and liberty that needed to be won, he damn well knew that Jason would be jumping on board to help out.

But here was Tommy, eons away from his lover. If something happened and Tommy died, however noble a cause it was for, Jason would never know what happened to him.

Tommy blinked and swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. What morbid thoughts to be having. He couldn't think like that.

His mind switched over and started recounting the evening's conversation. That in itself was a heavy load to try and process.

Mentioning the Power Rangers had lit a wildfire of information into the air.

Technically, Thomas had been the Green Power Ranger.

The evil Green Power Ranger.

He'd worked for Rena, who had initially come in and taken over Earth. He'd helped enforce her rule.

Then Zordon stepped in and killed her. That broke Thomas' spell, as well as his Green Power.

Zordon!

The man had been a live, honest-to-goodness full bodied wizard. Not some floating head showing up in a misty vortex tube from some distant point in the universe.

He had single handedly fought against Rena and won. She was dead.

But now, so was he. He had been heartbreakingly killed in return. By Ravindra, Rena's sister. She had taken over as ruler. Thomas saw the murder right before he escaped. Or so he thought.

He fled and went into hiding, ashamed of all the deeds he'd performed while under Rena's evil spell. He'd planned to kill himself, but that's when a mysterious letter showed up. It told him not to give up hope. To fight against Ravindra. That Zordon wasn't truly gone. That the Power Rangers, in their true glory and honor, could help turn the tide of the war. That Thomas could help restore the balance.

Thus was born the Crusaders and their resistance. Thomas, Jay, Zach, Robby, Katie, Kimmy, Trini, and Tanya were the leaders. There had been an eighth person, Aisha, but she had dropped out, not able to hold onto the hope that their cause was capable and strong enough to overturn Ravindra and her power.

Then, a fortnight ago, another letter came. A letter giving them a map to a place where Zordon was promised to be. A pouch with eight coins was attached, along with instructions explaining their use to bring Zordon back.

Hope flared up, bright and strong. The resistance had a chance.

War was coming. They needed the advantage.

Then Tanya died.

The Crusaders were in a village, gathering able bodied men and women who wanted to fight. Ravindra's Guard had shown up and attacked, having caught wind about the Crusaders being nearby. Tanya suffered a fatal blow to the head.

It was after her burial, in another village they had sought refuge in, when Robby found a whore house and spilled the contents of his heart to what turned out to be a hired spy to Ravindra's Guard.

Robby had one of the eight coins on him.

After the heavy loss of Tanya's death, they couldn't afford another loss. Especially when Robby carried a coin, and therefore part of the puzzle to gaining Zordon back. To winning an oncoming war.

Tommy mulled that over in his mind.

Much of that helped him to make sense of Zach's hostility toward Robby, and the poisonous attitude he was spouting off in waves. He was grieving for the loss of a friend.

The man's attitude seemed to perk up, however, when the conversation turned to Tommy. In turn, the Crusaders learned about his involvement as a Power Ranger. His stories gave them hope that they were going to gain exactly what they were hoping for to win the war.

Tommy recalled the fierce desire that burned in their eyes when he talked about the monsters he and his friends had destroyed. They were disappointed to find out he no longer carried the power with him, but he at least had the experience.

There was, however, the extra coin to consider. Having a veteran Ranger join their ranks was favorable. Things were looking up for them again.

Tommy couldn't bring himself to cheer with them. His heart hung heavy. Taking on the Power again. . . of course he would do it to help them out. Freedom and liberty were exactly the reasons he'd fought in the first place. It's just. . .

_Jason._

How could he explain to them that he had a husband he wanted to get back home to after the war? That he didn't want to stay here forever and be a Power Ranger. He'd done that already.

He had a life he was torn away from. A _normal_ life. He wanted that back.

Tommy heaved a silent frustrated sigh. Was sleep ever going to claim him?

He debated about getting up and stretching his legs. Thomas was on night watch. He could let the man go to sleep and take over.

That's when he heard someone else walk quietly on over to where Thomas was. The two began talking quietly. It was Jay.

"Can't sleep, huh?" came Thomas' hushed voice.

Jay let out a soft snort. "After all that's happened today? Not a wink," he whispered. "Want some company?"

"Sure."

Tommy wasn't trying to eaves drop, but they were sitting a few feet away from him. He couldn't really help it.

"So," Thomas began casually. There was some kind of emotion in his voice Tommy couldn't name. "Tommy really saved your life, did he?"

"Yeah," Jay replied slowly.

There was a pause.

"I need to thank him. If we'd lost you today. . . it would have been hard as hell to continue on without you."

Jay responded slowly. "Yeah, I know. Especially after Tanya. But. . ." there was a pause. Tommy couldn't see it, but he imagined in his mind's eye that Jay was shrugging. "You'd have managed it."

Jay's tone sounded casual, but Tommy could sense the lie underneath the bravado. It was very Jason-like.

"Yeah," Thomas replied softly. "But, you know, on a personal level, I think that inside. . . I don't know, I would have died too I think."

There was a sharp intake of breath.

"Thomas. . ." Jay's voice sounded strained.

"You kind of brought me back to the land of the living, bro," Thomas continued, his tone serious. "You didn't let me give up on myself after all the shit I pulled under Rena's spell. You found the other Crusaders, not me. We're where we are because of you."

"And _you_," Jay insisted.

Thomas gave a bitter laugh. "I've handed out death on a platter. I'm only trying to right the wrongs. I'll never understand why you all think I deserve to be the leader."

Jay groaned. "Not this again. Dude, you've got to start giving yourself some credit. Let me go wake up Kimmy or Katie, I'm sure they'd be happy to share some—"

"Oh God, _no_. Neither of them has made a pass at me for days. Don't you dare tell them this. I'm good."

"Then you concede?"

"To what?"

"Giving yourself some credit, man. You've done a world of good here."

Thomas snorted. "I'm sending people to war."

"You're giving people the chance for freedom."

"It's what I hope," Thomas whispered, his tone suddenly vulnerable. "But either way, people have died because of me. _More_ people are going to die, and I'm going to be responsible for that."

"You can't carry the weight of the dead on you, Thomas," Jay whispered crossly. "Tanya knew the risks. We all did. She didn't die for nothing. _None_ of this is for nothing. That's the job, okay? Don't make this so hard on yourself."

"If I'm the _leader_," Thomas hissed softly, emphasizing the last word, "it's my _job_ to take life and death seriously."

"Fine," Jay sounded annoyed and exasperated. "You wanna be like that? Let me wake up Zach. He's a good punching bag. Maybe he can shove some good sense up your ass."

"_No,_" Thomas hissed, his voice a soft throaty growl. "The man's a time bomb right now. Trini's the only one that can keep him under control. He's gone wild since Tanya's death. Look," he let out a frustrated breath. He didn't respond for a few moments. "I'm sorry. You're right. God bro, I was trying to tell you I'm glad you're alive, but you took that and wound it all up into something else. Take a compliment, will you?" he grumbled.

Jay didn't respond right away. Silence stretched on for several moments. Finally, Jay's quiet voice replied softly, "I'm glad I'm alive too. Someone's gotta heckle you."

"I thought that's why I had Zach around," Thomas replied sarcastically. "Hey," he said quickly, his tone suddenly changing. "Speaking of which, what was Zach giving you grief about when he first saw you and Tommy? It grossed him out."

"Oh." Jay's voice carried a note of embarrassment that he tried but failed to hide. "Well. . . after the fight was over, he was, um, kind of glad I stayed alive, too. He hugged me. It was weird. Zach read into it wrong. That's it."

_That's it?_

Tommy couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at that, glad for the shroud of darkness that hid his eaves dropping expression. That wasn't _all_ of it. It was _weird_?

"Oh," Thomas said, somewhat despondently.

"I swear I thought he was you," Jay rushed to quickly explain. "I mean, in hindsight, I should've noticed the differences better, but you know, heat of the battle and adrenaline and all." He was babbling. Jason babbled too when he was trying to hide something. "Zach likes to make too much out of things. It was nothing. Really."

"Okay," Thomas said slowly, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Okay," Jay repeated unnecessarily.

After that, silence stretched on, nothing more being said between the two.

It left Tommy wondering about these alternate versions of Thomas and Jay, and how much their conversation reminded him of his own awkward beginning with Jason.

Oh the uncertainty and fraying nerves of making one's feelings known.

Jay had inadvertently told Tommy his true feelings earlier when they had hugged and Tommy thought him to be his husband, but what about Thomas? Did the leader of the Crusader's feel the same way about Jay?

Tommy's running thoughts rested on his husband. God, that conversation made him miss his lover's company with a fierce longing that drove straight to his gut.

Why was he here? Was he supposed to play match maker to his alternate self? Could his and Jason's love be kissed by fate? Were they destined to be together from one alternate universe to another?

Tommy's thoughts continued to spiral around in his mind. He wasn't even aware when his mind slipped into the dream world. He swore he could feel Jason huddled right next to him. His lover was trembling and freezing cold. Tommy scooted so they were spooning together, and slowly, very slowly they both grew warm. Tommy idly brushed his fingers against Jason's arm, confused when he felt a cold iron cuff link on the wrist. Curious, he followed it, feeling a trail of chain links attaching themselves to another iron cuff on the other wrist.

The shrill cry of a bird startled Tommy awake. He sat bolt upright, staring at a group of trees that were illuminated with the first touching light of dawn.

"What the—?" Tommy said out loud, then stopped when he recognized his surroundings.

No Jason. No cold stone floor.

He was lying in a bed roll on hard forest ground and hearing a damn bird squawking nearby.

He rubbed at his eyes, dazed by the realization that he'd somehow managed to fall asleep, and deeply disappointed to awake from what felt like a very real encounter with his now-absent husband.

Looking around, he noticed he was the last one awake. Wow, Thomas really meant it when he said to get up at first light. Thomas was standing several feet away. The others were all grouped around him. They each wore grave expressions.

On Thomas' shoulder sat a raven, its beady black eyes looking directly at Tommy.

That must have been the bird that woke him up.

He and Thomas met eyes. "Morning," Thomas greeted.

There was no smile. Just a serious expression.

Tommy's scalp prickled. "Morning," he greeted back warily.

Kimmy was next to Thomas, stroking the raven's feathers. Trini and Zach were next to her. On the other side of Thomas was Jay, Katie and Robby. All eyes were focused on Tommy.

"What's wrong," he asked, instantly alert.

Thomas didn't waste any time on the niceties. "You may not be the only one from your universe that came here," he replied straightaway.

The prickling feeling shot down Tommy's spine. "How do you know?" he demanded.

Thomas held up a small piece of parchment he'd been holding. "We got another letter," he replied softly.

Though Thomas' body language suggested he was calm and collected, Tommy could see the concern in those dark brown eyes.

Tommy hastily pulled himself out of the bed roll and got to his feet. "What's it say?"

Thomas held out his hand, extending the piece of paper. "I think it's best if you read it."

In two strides Tommy was in front of Thomas. He anxiously snatched the paper into his own hands and began reading frantically.

"_Time grows shorter. The Lady has found the means to summon the Zeo Power, a force that will make her unstoppable. It is here, housed within the body of someone believed to be from an alternate universe. For a short time, this man is inhibiting her ability to wield it for herself. It will not last. How quickly are you progressing toward the location? You must make haste. – B.C."_

Tommy's heart dropped into his stomach as he read the words a second time through. It started to pound in an erratic, hard rhythm.

His dark, scathing eyes looked up at Thomas' grave expression. "I take it the lady mentioned in here would be Ravindra," Tommy ground out through clenched teeth.

Thomas nodded.

Images of the dream flitted through Tommy's mind's eye. The cold stone floor. The chains his fingers traced when holding onto. . .

"That _bitch_," Tommy spat out contemptuously.

Thomas arched a lone eyebrow. "It's true then. You know who it is that she has?"

Tommy scrunched his eyes shut, nodding tightly. A hidden latch he hadn't known existed opened up from within. Something ancient and primal slithered out. An image of a fierce red dragon surfaced behind his closed lids. It roared out with ferocious anxiety, awakening and circling around somewhere deep inside of himself. It was searching frantically for something that wasn't there, as if it was missing something.

Tommy opened his eyes. Red hue tainted the edges of his vision. The dragon roared a distress signal that made Tommy physically gasp out with shock. His knees buckled.

Thomas' eyes widened in concern. He reached out as Tommy started to fall. "What is it?"

A multitude of hands were instantly around Tommy, his Crusader friends holding him up as he fought against the ancient inferno roaring inside of him.

"They have Jason," he choked out.

Uneasy eyes shifted to Jay, who was staring with wide eyed shock.

"Um," Kimmy began uncertainly. "Jay's right here," she said gently.

"No, _Jason_," Tommy gasped out. "From my world. That bitch has my husband!"


	6. Discoveries

**Author's Notes: **

Ghostwriter: Tommy is SUCH a fun character to be writing. I love his fighting spirit.

xxSt0Rm3yyxx: I admit, when I first started writing, I hadn't anticipated Zach to be as hard edged as he's come out to be, but I sort of need him to be that way so that way plot information can come forward. Anger hides the scars he has underneath.

mudkiprox: All I will say is Billy has turned into a really interesting character for this story. :)

Happy reading to all, thank you for your patience, and I will always welcome your thoughts and reviews.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Discoveries**

Jason startled awake.

"Tommy!" he rasped out in a scraggy, unfamiliar voice. His tongue stuck to the roof his mouth, swollen and parched from dehydration.

Momentarily dazed, his eyes instantly tracked movement and witnessed his cell door closing. Vaguely he realized the noise of it opening was what had awoken him. A glass of water and a bowl of something now lay on the floor.

Groggily, Jason sat up, wincing slightly from the pain in his ribs. Thankfully it wasn't anywhere near as painful as it was, um. . . last night? He had no idea what time of day it was, or how much time had really passed. There was no window in his small confinements, but rather a dim light that never turned off.

Absentmindedly, Jason reached up and hugged himself, rubbing his fingers over the places a warm, strong arm was holding onto him only moments ago. He cast a hopeful glance behind him. Empty space and the far cell wall was what greeted his view. No Tommy. No warm body hugging him and taking away the chill of lying on cold stone floor.

Damn, that had felt so _real_.

Jason sighed. Tommy.

He'd hardly had time to think about his husband since arriving. . . where was he again?

The Keep. That's right. That's what this mansion-like place was called.

Ravindra said he was in the land of Canberra. That didn't mean anything. What _did_ mean something, however, was finding out he was in an alternate universe.

And Tommy. . . Tommy had to be going hysterical with worry by now. His husband was terribly protective over any little thing that happened. Worst of all, there was no way for Jason to give any kind of warning to his whereabouts. He was in a completely different universe.

A shadow of anger started to form. He wasn't a Power Ranger anymore. He had been living a nice, normal, happy married life with Tommy. _Why_ was there always something that seemed destined to screw things up for him?

Jason gasped suddenly. There was an unexpected pressure bearing down inside of him. The red dragon was stirring, rapidly circling inside with anxiety. A feeling of great despair and longing erupted from the creature. The emotion was so intense that it was hard for Jason to breathe.

The red dragon. It was the Zeo power.

What was going on with it? Why was it acting up? Was Ravindra nearby?

It stomped its tail in protest to that thought.

Okay, so what was aggravating it then?

It danced around inside, keening and protesting in a language Jason couldn't understand.

He continued gasping for air. Geez, this was worse than when the Golden Zeo Power was trying to devour his life force. This red one was alive and kicking with multiple agendas. He never really thought about it before, but each power revealed their own personality when magic threatened to usurp their current home inside of a person.

Damn Ravindra and her strange voodoo! He didn't enjoy feeling cramped inside of his own body with an ancient force he thought had left him. It had brought him back to life, yes, but hadn't that been it?

That thought brought him back to William. The man had sort of freaked out when Jason told him about being brought back to life. That probably wasn't a good thing.

Jason's stomach gave a loud rumble, interrupting his thoughts. He stared hungrily at the water and bowl of. . . whatever. He slithered his bound hands and feet over toward sustenance, trying his best to ignore the gray goblins of his mind that were spray painting bright gold neon borders along his memories of when he was Goldar's Tribute slave in the Dark Dimension. They were flashing a big blinking arrow to his chains, politely reminding him he seemed to be in similar circumstances now.

Jason's breathing hitched and he paused momentarily, paralyzed by the relentless images barreling into his mind and bringing back unwanted emotions. His heart started hammering away. He tried to take deep, calming breaths, but with the restless, depressed dragon circling around inside, it was an impossible task to accomplish.

Jason shook his head, as if the motion would magically dispel the images. It didn't. He needed to concentrate on something simple, like food. Maybe that would help.

So with shaking hands, he cautiously moved forward and grabbed at the bowl of food, noting with appreciation that it was warm. And, as a bonus, there was also a spoon. He observed the bowl's contents. It looked like oatmeal of some sort. He sniffed it. Apples and cinnamon wafted into his nostrils, dispelling the fear that it was going to be like the gray sludge he had to endure when enslaved by Goldar.

The gray goons of his mind chortled in disbelief. He took a tentative bite, and found heaven. This oatmeal tasted _good_. The gray goons disappeared in a puff of smoke, along with their flashing signs and hideously bright bordered memories of doom.

The red dragon also quieted down in a small corner somewhere, satiated by the food Jason was now pile driving into his mouth. For the next several minutes all was calm and peaceful inside his body. He washed it down with the refreshing glass of water, the cool liquid running in perfect tandem with the warm contents of his now full belly.

He was leaning against the wall adjacent to the cell door, almost dozing off when the dragon roared back to life.

Jason wheezed out a shocked breath of air as his eyes flew open. The creature was thumping excitedly, trying to shatter his ribs, or so it felt. That's when the cell door opened, and the dragon roared in delight.

It was Ravindra.

Jason cursed her spell for turning the Zeo power into a traitor against his body.

Ravindra's eyes glittered with the bright hue of aqua waters. She wore a light blue dress with splashes of white interspersed through the light cotton fabric. It was sleeveless with a deep v-neck that had diamonds bordering the inside edges. They crisscrossed at her diaphragm and wove around her rib cage. From there, the material billowed out and flowed freely down toward the floor. She was smiling.

Jason fixed her with a stern glare.

It made her chuckle.

"Feisty already, hmm?" she purred.

Without waiting for an answer, she bent down so she was eye to eye with Jason. The angle made her bosom push together in a deep line of cleavage. It was annoying to observe. Her hands reached out toward his face, but instincts took over and Jason dove sideways to avoid her touch. Either her reflexes were fast or he was too slow, but she grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back.

The dragon burst against his ribs, making Jason gasp. Damn that spell! The dragon was ecstatic at Ravindra's touch while he, Jason, was silently imploring his skin to wither away and disappear under her hold. He hated physical contact. Tommy was the only one he could stand it from. And yet here was this warring dragon inside traitorously thumping around in joy, forcing his body to feel two very different emotions.

"Don't touch me!" Jason snarled, more viciously than he intended. He fought against her hold and against the dragon's happiness. He wasn't going to just sit idle and allow those damn feelings to fester.

Ravindra's eyes went wide and her eyebrows arched in surprise at his harsh tone, but her grip didn't slacken. In a blur of motion he couldn't track, he found both of his shoulders slammed up against the wall, her hands pinning him in place. Jason's head smacked against the stone surface. A burst of stars swam before his eyes as sharp pain slammed into his skull.

He heard Ravindra's sharp intake of breath. Jason's lips instantly parted of their own accord, and he felt a few wisps of power leech out from the open airway and into Ravindra's waiting mouth.

Then it was over.

Ravindra let out a small sigh. "Oh, how I want more of that," she purred with anticipation.

Jason looked up into black fathomless eyes that were staring him down. A lurch of fear arose from inside. She looked frightening when her eyes turned like that. It was more than just her eyes though. It was the tide of anger and power that pulsed out of her in waves. She really was someone you didn't want to cross. Yet here Jason was, crossing her whether it made sense or not.

Her hands continued to dig into his shoulder. They felt like cold marble stone. Jason could feel his cheeks redden with angry embarrassment at his inability to fight against her hold on him. Vaguely he noted the red dragon's pleasure at the ongoing contact. A repulsive shiver ran through him.

Ravindra's stern mouth slowly pulled up in a smirk. "So, you don't like to be touched, hmm?" she said in a low midnight voice.

Jason did his best to fix a loathing glare at her in answer. The way those black depths bore into him, however, made him feel like she saw through the bravado and straight to the fears of his heart. He wanted to look away, but he was spellbound.

Her smirk widened into a wicked smile. She lifted her right hand from Jason's shoulder and brought it up to his face, gently caressing his cheek with the backs of her fingers. He flinched, but didn't turn his head away. Her hand felt like ice. It burned. The red dragon rumbled a throaty purr of contentment.

"I'll see what I can do about that," Ravindra whispered huskily. Ribbons of sapphire started to float across her irises, lightening the depths of darkness until it had all completely dissipated. Her fingers continued to caress.

Jason kept his silence. He found with profound gratefulness that he could blink. He looked away from those haunting eyes, choosing to stare instead at his closed cell door. There was no handle on this side, he noted idly.

"Your wounds have healed remarkably well," Ravindra continued on, obviously enjoying the way she was making Jason uncomfortable. "For a moment, I would have suspected William to have disobeyed my orders and healed you himself. . . were it not for some lovely information he revealed to me," she crooned softly.

Jason concentrated on the door in an effort to keep his emotions shoved away. She was taunting him. He knew it and he hated it, but he refused to rise for the bait. So his focus remained on the door, studying it with rapt interest. It was a dark wood of some kind, heavy and very sturdy. It contrasted against the gray stone walls of his confinements.

"He said you mentioned the Zeo power brought you back to life," Ravindra continued on, twirling her fingers around his hair and pulling on the strands. "That you had _died_," she emphasized, placing her lips next to his ear.

Jason's breathing hitched. _The door._ Concentrate on the door. There were small indentations in the wood. How many prisoners had tried to pound their way out of here?

"That makes you more special to me." Ravindra's icy breath blew into his ear. "Are you curious as to why?"

Her fingers were digging into his shoulder with bruising force. The dragon was shaking its tail like a dog, whining excitedly.

Jason started to count the number of indentations he could make out.

His concentration broke as she pressed up against him, adjusting so she was on her knees and looking directly at him. He couldn't fight the way his body tensed against the intimate contact, yet he could do nothing about it. She grabbed a fistful of his hair and angled herself so Jason was forced to make eye contact with her. They were deep sapphire pools of glittering gems, staring into his soul and pulling out the fears he was trying to hide from.

Ravindra's expression was amused. Jason could tell she was very aware of the effect she was having on him. She was nose to nose. "It means you are not a mere possessor of the Zeo power," she began to explain, reveling in Jason's silence. Her eyes sparkled with a triumphant gleam, lightening to a summer blue sky. "You are the well for it, Jason. _The_ source." She lifted both hands to cup Jason's face, staring into his widening eyes as the impact of those words sunk in. "You are _my_ elixir of power." She was grinning now. "You are bound to me. I have only to figure out how to tap into the delicious power of this eternal spring. That spring is _you_. And I think I know _just_ what to do."

Fear and anger combined themselves in a bubble of anxiety that burst inside of Jason. The last remains of self-control snapped, and he brought his chained hands up and barreled them into Ravindra's stomach, shoving her away. She toppled backwards, landing smartly on her bottom.

She let out a startled cry which immediately alerted the guards on the other side of the door. In an instant the door opened and the Royal Guard poured in.

Four of them swarmed around Jason, hoisting him up as he struggled uselessly against their might. Two of them, Rand and Adam, held fast onto his arms while the third one stood from behind and placed his sword around the chains of his feet so that he couldn't raise his legs to kick as he had done so earlier. The fourth guard assisted Ravindra to her feet and walked with her as she stood face to face with Jason, red streaks of lightning flashing in her eyes.

He'd really made her mad. Good. It wasn't a smart tactical move, but at this very moment, his pride didn't care.

Ravindra reached up and grabbed a handful of Jason's hair and tugged, making his neck crane backwards. The soldiers pushed against the backs of his knees, forcing them to bend so Ravindra was looking down over him.

Ravindra's mouth was fixed in a contemptuous scowl. "We shall be acquainted with each other for quite a while, _pet_. I suggest you learn to heel to your superior, and _quickly_. It will benefit you best." She leaned in closely, her eyes burning and intense. She lowered her voice to a stern growl. "I will enjoy the sound of your screams today, for your defiance has earned you due punishment." Her lips curled into a sneer. "Get used to pain, slave. I have suspicions that its use will draw my bond with the Zeo power much tighter."

* * *

Jason was stretched taut, unable to move for the life of him. His feet were jammed into a black metal box that lay cemented to the floor, and the chains connected to his manacled wrists were fastened to a metal hook that was attached to a rope and pulley system. He was held upright as his arms were hoisted above his head as far as they could extend, and his shirt had been stripped so that his upper torso was naked and exposed for the flogging he was to receive momentarily.

He had been taken to Ravindra's torture chamber. It was a relatively large room filled with various furnishings and torture devices that Jason really didn't care to think about.

Currently, Ravindra was making some final preparations. She drew a large circle around them and now stood a few feet away, eyes closed in deep concentration. She was chanting words that Jason couldn't make out, but he could feel the power of whatever she was creating affect the red dragon. It was getting excited.

Shit, shit, shit, what was going to happen?

After what felt like an eternity, her eyes opened, and black vacuous depths bore into him.

A blood-red circular band suddenly appeared in her hands. It glowed brightly. She walked forward, and the inner dragon thumped its tail in eagerness. Ravindra reached up and placed it around Jason's neck. He felt searing heat for a few seconds. The red dragon bobbed its great head in contentment, sporting the collar as well.

Jason's anger and curiosity won out over the silent vigil he had been maintaining. "What the hell is this for?" he asked through gritted teeth, his voice low and threatening.

Ravindra's black eyes regarded him impassively. She held up her right hand, displaying a duplicate red band on her ring finger. "The power can now flow from your pores directly into me," came her midnight reply.

"What do you mean by that?"

Black holes stared at him, un-answering. They shifted toward Rand, who was standing at attendance next to Jason.

"The physician?" she asked him.

Rand nodded and made a motion to another guard standing sentry at the chamber door. It opened, and in walked William, escorted by his personal guard Adam. William's eyes found Jason's, but they were devoid of emotion, his face a blank expressionless mask. The man stopped behind Ravindra.

"I am here, my Lady," William said formally, bowing even though he stood to her backside.

Ravindra lifted her arm, pointing to a spot behind Jason. "Go stand over there."

Without another word, William walked past Jason's line of vision and placed himself where he was bid.

Ravindra's chilling eyes settled on someone just behind Jason. The flogger.

"Hound?"

There was a slight rustle of movement. Then the sound of a whip whistled, crackling the air right next to Jason. His body flinched instinctively and his eyes snapped shut, but he felt no sting.

"Ready, your grace," came Hound's deep throaty voice. It carried a hint of amusement. The man had missed on purpose.

Jason cracked his eyes open, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Ravindra's black eyes bore into him, her expression giving nothing away. She tilted her head forward. "Commence."

Jason drew in a lungful of air when the first slice tore into his backside. It immediately dispelled the oxygen he had attempted to gather, escaping his lips with a startled groan that he immediately regretted uttering. The whip cracked again, and a second lash seared into his flesh, successfully depleting his lungs from all of the air it had gathered.

Jason was now suffocating against absence of oxygen and the fire raining on his skin as a third lash quickly cut into his lower back. He choked out a whimper, his cheeks flushing with prideful anger at the sounds he was emitting. He pursed his lips tightly closed to prevent any further sound from emitting.

This was unlike anything he had experienced. He wanted to draw breath, but his body had seized with shock. This was an entirely new form of pain his body had never experienced, and the intensity momentarily paralyzed his system.

Ravindra held up her hand, halting the onslaught. It gave Jason time for his body to kick itself into gear. He drew in a ragged breath, feeling his cuts split open as his flesh expanded with a fresh lungful of air. He understood now why he was stretched as tight as he was. It would enable the whip to really dig into skin that had nowhere to go but further apart.

The dragon roared with the deliverance of new oxygen. It rose up and crashed into Jason's chest, making him gasp out, losing some of the precious air he had just gained. Incredible pressure rose suddenly inside, banging against Jason's enclosed flesh.

It felt like a tiny little opening uncorked itself, and thin wisps of red smoke seeped out of Jason and flowed toward Ravindra, melting into her. The woman's nostrils flared and her body stood straight and tall as it absorbed the Zeo power. Her hand lowered.

The whip cracked down onto Jason's back, slicing in-between his shoulder blades. He bit into his lip and scrunched up his face, holding back a grunt of pain. The dragon clawed feverishly against his internal organs. More thin wisps of power flowed, but it was strangled. It felt like his skin was trying to exhale the power through a spongy substance. It just wasn't getting through all the way.

A sixth slice tore into Jason's left shoulder blade. He felt his skin tear open, exposing a wide chasm of oozing flesh. He bit into his lip hard enough to draw blood. The dragon roared in frustration. It wanted out, and it wasn't happening.

The whip cracked again. The dragon roared and clawed. The power continued to seep through at a horribly congested rate. It was being pulled by Ravindra's spell, but not at all satisfactory to the dragon's liking. Ravindra's brows creased. It seems she wasn't liking it either.

The whip sliced into Jason's flesh for the eighth time. He couldn't help the groan that escaped his bleeding lips. Every breath he took was leeched away by the Zeo Power's spongy pilfering and the sharp sting of the whip as it bore into his flesh.

Again the cycle went as the lash carved into unmarked skin. Jason's knees turned to jelly. They sagged, which put more weight onto his wrists, which caused his shoulder blades to shift and the wounds to crack open further. Blood oozed and trickled into other wounds, stinging with scorching fire.

Tears pricked at Jason's eyes. He sucked in a desperate mouth of air as the whip bit into his flesh for the tenth strike. The dragon snatched the oxygen and funneled it into congested flesh that slowly leaked the Zeo power out of his pores in thinning wisps of red.

Ravindra's features shifted, her mouth drawing in a hard line, those black depths sparkling with red lightening. She lifted her hand.

"Halt!" she ordered in her midnight voice. It was infused with irritation.

The dragon roared out in frustration. The red wisps of power were barely more than a whisper of smoke. The fire inside was lit and fuming, but the oxygen needed to really keep it going wasn't there.

Ravindra knew she wasn't getting the power how she wanted.

Jason wanted to feel relief, but every breath drawn was still a struggle. The dragon was greedy for all of the precious air.

Right now he really didn't like the Zeo power.

And he really hated Ravindra.

The sorceress rubbed an agitated hand over her forehead. It was deeply creased in consternation.

"William," she called.

"My lady?" came his instant reply. Jason detected a hint of fear.

"You have had the same hypothesis as I," she began, her voice deceptively calm.

"Affirmative."

"Your theories have been favorable up until this point. Have you enlightenment on WHY this _damnably_ isn't working?!" She yelled out, her voice echoing around the room.

There was the sound of footsteps, and then William stepped into view. He circled around Jason, examining him closely. Very closely.

"How did you die?" he asked quietly, studying Jason's flesh for any tell-tale signs.

Jason remained silent.

"Answer him, slave," Ravindra commanded.

Jason glared at her, pursing his lips shut tight.

Bottomless black eyes bore into him. Her hand raised. The whip cracked. Jason hissed through his teeth. His hands balled into fists and he shifted so his feet were now uncomfortably supporting his weight within that tiny metal box, but he kept his silence.

Ravindra lowered her hand and grinned. She tsked aloud. "Such a strong warrior you are. How foolish of me to think pain will get you to talk." Her tone was condescendingly warm. "Not to worry, love. Everyone has a weakness." She took a step forward, then another. "Those lips weren't meant to pout, darling."

Hold on, darling? _Love_? She was talking to him in a sweet song voice, practically purring. Oh no. NO. He was not going to allow her to go _there_. He tried to look away, but those black eyes were holding his stare hostage.

She was right next to William now. "Those lips are meant for far more pleasurable things," she said huskily. Her hand lifted up toward his face, but Jason craned his neck away.

"I was speared," Jason said in a rush, forcing his eyes to look at William's.

Ravindra's hand halted in its path. Her lips curled up in a sneer.

That bitch. She knew exactly what she was doing.

"Where were you pierced?" William asked, wisely ignoring the friction between the two.

Jason rolled his eyes. "I don't know. I was sort of dead at the time."

"When you came back to life, the marks were gone?" William inquired, carefully studying Jason's torso.

"Yes," Jason hissed out.

William brought his right hand up to his chin and grabbed it, thinking.

Ravindra placed her palm onto the middle of Jason's chest, grinning at the way he flinched against her touch. "Well?" she prompted William.

"The Zeo power not only brought you back to life, but it also healed your wounds, am I correct?" William addressed Jason.

"I guess so," Jason answered through clenched teeth.

William nodded, taking a moment to process the affirmation. Then he shrugged, turning to Ravindra. "The key must lie in the healing, then. Not so much in the affliction."

Ravindra's mouth pressed in a hard line. Her nails dug into Jason's skin. "_That_ is how I unlock the power? _Healing_ him?"

Again, William shrugged. "You felt something when I healed his shoulder. His wounds from Byron have all but disappeared, and I did nothing, as you requested. It's the next course of action to try."

"A slow course of action," Ravindra grumbled.

William nodded. "If left to his own, yes."

Ravindra began slowly raking her nails down Jason's chest. Thin red lines marked her trail. "You will use your magic to speed the process."

"Of course, my Lady."

"Go now. Gather your supplies. The Guard will escort him to your patient quarters."

"Yes, my Lady."

William bowed his head and made a hasty retreat. Adam escorted him out the door.

Ravindra dropped her hand, those black eyes smiling at the trail of blood she marked on Jason's flesh. She then lifted her head, looking past Jason's shoulder. "Hound, commence whipping. I promised to make him scream."

* * *

Jason screamed into his rag and bit down. He yanked reflexively against his manacled wrists. The skin was really beginning to chafe underneath, but that was the least of his problems at present. He was lying face down on a table in William's patient quarters, which happened to be the same stark white room he had been in before. His arms hugged the table's edge, his chains deftly secured by something underneath. His chained feet were also held tightly in place, and a strap fixed itself around his buttocks to prevent him from moving around. He was severely testing the limits of his bonds.

This was worse, _far_ worse, than the whipping.

He had no idea what ministrations William was actually performing, but this did _not_ feel like healing in the slightest.

It first began with wiping all of the blood away with what Jason initially assumed was water cascading over him. About two seconds into it, however, the 'water' turned into what Jason could only describe as acid. It felt like a thousand piranha were feasting away at his flesh, tearing into muscle and nerves and stripping him down to the bone.

He'd successfully frustrated Ravindra with holding in his cries of pain up until that moment. And since then, his agonized screams earned him a rag to bite into as the sensations only continued to worsen.

The dragon was happy. Gloriously happy. It was like the acid water turned itself into energetic fuel that made the Zeo power bounce around inside of him a million miles an hour. Strong, bright red tendrils of red power flowed from Jason, pulling at every ounce of flesh he possessed and giving it all to _her._

Ravindra was there, pacing back and forth and moaning in a way he really didn't want to hear. She was happy. Very happy. Red sparks occasionally shot across the room.

William worked silently, saying nothing unless requested. But Ravindra wasn't requesting it. His theory was proving right. The Zeo power was giving itself to her. It was only a matter of time before it was hers completely.

What she would do with it, Jason didn't want to fathom. He didn't know this alternate world that he had been pulled into, but he felt despair at the fate that awaited it with Ravindra in power.

Total power.

It was why he fought against the bonds. Tested his strength. The Zeo power was in him! _Why_, then, was he no stronger than an ordinary man? He tried to invoke its power for himself. He tried to call on its strength to break his chains. He willed it to answer to _him_.

It didn't.

The red dragon continued to push against every pore in his body, fueled by torturous ministrations of whatever the hell William was doing to him, and giving as much of itself as it could to Ravindra.

Her damn spell was full proof. She had stolen the Zeo power's loyalty away from Jason. It was a traitor in his own body. He was powerless against it. It was a source of great power and strength, save for him. He couldn't tap into it. Not for himself, not for others, not for this world.

He was powerless.

That thought reverberated through his brain as William's fingers applied some sort of salve into every open space on his torn flesh. It began eating itself anew.

Jason yelled into the rag. He wished to pass into oblivion, but he had been force fed something that Ravindra assured would keep him awake for a long, long time.

Unfortunately, it was doing just that.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw William grab a needle and begin threading it.

What the. . .? _No_. William was _not _going to perform. . . oh, _shit!_

Jason felt the needle pierce his flesh. He felt the thread pull through, the needle pierce more flesh. Again, and again, and again. Mercilessly, William began sewing the lash wounds. No use of anesthetic or anything. He could feel every pull and poke and movement of the thread and needle.

Jason groaned into the rag, flinching at every tug that pulled skin closed and at every pierce of the needle that tore through more nerves. On and on it went, all the while the dragon prancing around happily, and Ravindra pacing with barely contained glee.

"You will watch this world cower under my rule, Jason of Alternate Earth," Ravindra spoke after what felt like hours. "I have unlocked the well to this spring of power! You shall help me in my conquest. I will crush the Crusaders and their rebellion. Once they fall, no one will dare oppose me! I will attain what my sister could only dream of!"

She continued on in her rant, but Jason tuned her out. For the millionth time he pulled at his chains, but there was simply no give. There was no extra strength to be had, but rather the waning of it. Exhaustion was beginning to set in, but his mind was wired to a thousand bolts of electricity. He was wide awake. He felt like a Ferrari set on top of a cinder block, dead to the world and not going anywhere, but the wheels were still spinning at astronomical speeds.

He didn't rightly recall when the last stitch had finished, or when Ravindra's babbling fell silent. Pain blurred into torment and became fuzzy to tell what was worst from one sensation to the other. More acidic salve was placed on the wounds that stung like welder's fire.

Vaguely he realized that the dragon had stopped its prancing and bellowing and celebratory shoving of power through his pores. It was settling down, curling up in a ball and resting its head with the damned red collar proudly shining in display. It was falling asleep. He envied it.

"NO!"

Ravindra grabbed a handful of Jason's hair and roughly pulled up. She snatched the rag out of his mouth. "It shouldn't be going away!" She yelled at him, her face a mask of fury. "I unlocked the damn key. This power is mine you wretched mass of lard! You are the well that I command. _I do not command you to close up!_"

That's when Jason realized the sleeping dragon was no longer giving forth its Zeo power. And the pain... the excruciating pain of William's ministrations had died down to a dull throbbing pulse.

And Ravindra was angry. Anger was good. Anger meant she didn't have all that she wanted. That somehow, the Zeo power still wasn't completely hers.

And based on her seething glare, she thought him responsible for the power locking back up.

Jason smiled, his dry lips cracking as he stared into sapphire eyes. "I told you from the very beginning," he started, his voice hoarse from the hours of screaming. His throat burned like hell, but that little bit of pain was worth letting the bitch know she wasn't going to be an all-mighty ruler just yet. "I gave the power up. It is _no one's_ to command."

Ravindra snarled and smacked Jason's head back onto the table. Pain exploded in his skull, but it was only the start. He felt her place both hands onto the tips of his shoulders. With fingers curled and her nails digging in, Jason's voice cracked in a hoarse scream of torment as he felt her nails rake down the entirety of his back, breaking open freshly healed welts. The pressure of her hands disappeared, and seconds later a sharp blade was slicing into every single stitch that William had sewn.

Tears collected and pooled in Jason's eyes at the renewed agony. He cried out and pulled feverishly at his unyielding chains. Line after line of lashings were now opened back up, oozing fresh blood and stinging against the crisp bite of fresh air.

Jason heard the knife clatter to the floor and closed his eyes shut, trying hard to dispel the rising nausea in his stomach. The dragon's head snapped out of slumber and roared awake, snarling at the interruption.

"Heal him again, physician," Ravindra ordered in her midnight voice.

There was a small beat of silence. "Y-yes, your grace," came William's weak reply. He too, sounded nauseated.

There was movement and the sound of things being prepared. Then the rain of acid water fell over Jason's back, and seven levels of hell broke open all over again.


	7. Discrepancies

**Author notes: **

My apologies for the long delay. I fear this story will have very slow progress. Remember my talk of getting published? That will become a reality in a month's time. Yay! As such, there is another project I am working on for publication, so fanfiction is taking a little bit of a backseat to my window of time. Happy Easter to you all (that is, if you happen to celebrate the holiday. If not, happy weekend!), and here is another chapter. I appreciate all of the interest this story has gained, and for those who continue to find "How You Found Me." Statistic numbers show me how active that series still is, and I'm flattered! That is what started it all.

Ghostwriter: Let me know if this chapter does more mind blowing or mind boggling :)

xxSt0Rm3yyxx: Your feedback always brings a smile to my face! Stomach churning was a reaction I was aiming for!

Algrandz: Your comments made me chuckle, I'm glad you despise Ravindra, let's me know I've painted her well. I'm curious what you'll think of the events that unfold in this chapter.

To everyone still reading along, happy reading! I always appreciate reviews/feedback.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Discrepancies**

William stood over the wash basin, wondering if he needed to make another run for the chamber pot to throw up, even though there wasn't anything left to heave. He'd given up the contents of his stomach five times over, but still, the queasiness hadn't quite settled yet.

He'd never done what he had to do with Jason. Healing the extensive lashings of a torture victim twice, back to back? Ravindra had never cared enough in the past about healing whoever she had tortured. He'd only ever dealt with those victims if he was slipping in to give them a concoction that stopped their suffering earlier.

He'd never had to prolong it. He'd never had to give them something to make them aware of the entire, gruesome healing process, something that didn't allow them to pass into unconsciousness.

Thankfully the concoction he'd given the prisoner had worn off as he sewed up the last of the open lashings – for the second time. The prisoner had lost consciousness and Ravindra had not forced William to shove another stimulant down the man's throat, to which he was immensely and quietly grateful for.

Regardless of this prisoner's Zeo-infused power that aided in an astonishing full recovery, a lengthy process like that took a physical and mental toll on the body.

These past twenty four hours were perhaps the most harrowing and grueling hours William had ever experienced as a physician, and that was saying something. Ever since Ravindra's rule, he had been the Head Healer at The Keep. Before then, he was lead apprentice to Morton, the former Head Healer who had served under Rena until she was killed. Seizing a small window of opportunity for freedom, his predecessor had fled. William might have gone with his mentor, had it not been for the circumstances at the time and the burden of information that had been passed on to him.

William took a deep breath, willing his stomach to settle. Images kept flashing to mind. Blood. So much blood. He'd seen a lot of blood in his career, but not like this. The screams and terrible tremors that wracked the prisoner's body touched upon William's soul in a dark way. He felt filthy.

For anyone who landed themselves an unlucky prisoner to Ravindra, William found it best not to think of them as people. When one found disfavor with the Lady, death was imminent, and as the Head Healer, William's duty was usually to assist in proclaiming the poor victim dead.

Not this time, though. This time, he could not get out of his head that this prisoner had a name: Jason. Even in spite of the fact that the man resembled his childhood friend, there was something about him that got under William's skin, that opened up those un-invited feelings of wanting – no, _needing_ – to help this man.

Jason _was_ still alive, and he was healed, but. . .

Today had been pure, unadulterated torture, forced by Ravindra to heal Jason in such a barbaric way. He hadn't been permitted the use of anesthetics or numbing agents or even strong liquor to dim the prisoner's pain. Ravindra wanted the man to feel every second of mind-numbing agony. She wanted an alert audience so she could gloat and cheer, believing this to be her moment of triumph. The moment when the Zeo power unlocked for her to use at will, anytime and anywhere, fueling her power to new depths of darkness.

Thank the powers that be, it didn't go that way.

She discovered there was still a block. Even through the collar she had devised to allow the power to funnel into her, the infliction of pain or the healing of it still didn't truly unlock the key to an unlimited supply of power.

As soon as Jason's body crossed that perilous edge into healing and faded scars of the torn flesh, the power waned, and then it slowly began to sap away from her and back into Jason.

He was still the keeper of the Zeo Power. He was the source, the unyielding well, which begged the question: why was Ravindra not capable of tapping into it and commanding the power? What was preventing her binding spell from truly working?

It was puzzling, even to William.

This wasn't the way magic usually performed.

Even after the first round of healing when Ravindra had ripped open all of William's painstaking work, ordering him to start the process all over, the power had reacted the same way. Bright red tendrils of strength flowed from Jason and into Ravindra, yet leeched back into the man when the healing process had reached a certain level.

Ravindra was beside herself with frustration when the power began to fade, _again_. As the drugs wore off and the prisoner slipped into unconsciousness, William wondered if he was going to live or die at that moment.

But she had stormed out, and William had precious silence to finish the last leg of the healing process, letting himself silently marvel at how quickly the power enabled the prisoner to mend.

That was when the thought hit him. There was a piece of the puzzle missing.

Jason had been brought back to life by the Zeo power, and for all intents and purposes, the man was infused with the power itself. But the prisoner had mentioned to William that the power had originally belonged to someone else.

Could it be possible that this someone else was _still_ keeper of the Zeo power? It was an absurd thought. That couldn't be right. Magic didn't behave that way. It didn't share a house with two separate bodies. Jason had been healed and resurrected by the power. It should have passed to him – Right? As it should now be passing to Ravindra. She had successfully bonded herself to the Zeo power. That was the way of magic. Yet nothing was sticking. Power was _there_, but. . . it wasn't passing to her.

Was Jason not the rightful keeper? Was his body merely housing something that actually belonged to someone else?

As absurd as that thought was, a third person being the true keeper of the Red Zeo power was the only thing William could come up with that could explain why Ravindra was failing to take it for herself.

This force was proving to be far greater and stronger than anything anyone could have anticipated. That made it very, very dangerous for Ravindra to acquire. And for those same reasons, it is what made her equally impatient to have it.

In spite of it all, William couldn't help but feel a small shiver of happiness. She still didn't truly have the Zeo power. There was still time. There was still hope.

This man, Jason from Alternate Earth, might be their saving grace just yet. He seemed unaware of its potential and naïve to the bizarre rules and boundaries the power was demanding the Lady to abide by, but he was strong and seemed able to face off against her wrath. Very few were capable of looking her in the eyes when she went dark and sank deep into her magic. Most often, they turned into a quivering mass of urine-drenched brainless heifers.

Jason, however, was proving to be an anomaly. Granted, it was clear that he wasn't immune to the fear one felt when in her presence and her ire was focused on you, but it meant that his strong spirit could help buy some more precious valuable time.

Every bit that could be given was worthwhile.

The question was, how high was that cost? William found he had gained a fond liking for Jason. The man had an admirable warrior's spirit. But Ravindra loved breaking men like that. How far would she go to break Jason? And how far would Jason be able to last?

Because of the Zeo's particular bond with the man's life essence, it was unlikely that Jason would meet death during the process. Therefore, it was his mind that Ravindra would target. That's what she would go after.

And William would be right there along every step of the way, watching it happen, healing what he was ordered to heal. He was going to sit and watch a strong spirit break under Ravindra's care, because. . . because why?

Because it would serve as a distraction to Ravindra and buy more time to prepare for the oncoming war. Because the rebellion needed every advantage they could get if they were going to win against the Lady's forces. Because if she was torturing Jason and trying to break him, it meant she didn't have the unstoppable power that she wanted, and that was one more day of relief.

Could William handle that on his conscience? Was time worth that much? Would it actually help?

Part of that answer hinged on the information Sorcha would hopefully be returning with.

Then William could know how much time he needed to buy, and what moral dilemmas he needed to ask himself to live with.

At that moment, the door to William's chamber opened. He glanced up anxiously, watching Adam walk into the room and close the door quickly. There was a glimmer of excitement in those eyes that faded when they drank in William's appearance.

"You look like shit," Adam commented.

William's shoulders dropped, and he visibly relaxed. This was off-duty Adam. He needed off-duty Adam right now.

"I more than look it," William replied dryly.

Adam stepped into the room and started to shed his armor, dropping the pieces unceremoniously to the floor. "Have you puked?"

William cast a hand vaguely toward the chamber pot and nodded wordlessly.

Adam nodded approvingly. "Good. Have some whiskey. I heard things pretty good on the other side of that door. You need to drink that shit away."

William said nothing, staring at his hazy reflection in the murky water. This had been the fourth basin servants had given him, and still the water was tainted with the prisoner's blood.

Adam was looking intently at him, now rid of all soldier apparel. "Will?" he prompted softly.

William heaved a heavy sigh, keeping his gaze focused on his wavering reflection. "I was a torturer today."

Adam inhaled sharply. "No," he countered slowly, firmly. "You were a _healer_. I saw him a few moments ago. You did a brilliant job."

William scoffed. "Just because the body is healed doesn't mean the mind is." He cast a dark glance at Adam before returning his gaze back into the basin. "You heard _how_ I healed him. That's the work of a torturer."

"You only followed orders," Adam insisted, shaking his head. "We are Her instruments. We are Her tools. It wasn't you, Will. It was Her. You _know_ that."

William didn't respond.

Adam let out a frustrated breath, walking over to a nearby cupboard and pulling out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. "Shit William, stop it. That's why you need to drink those thoughts away. They're poison." He opened the bottle and poured a healthy dose of liquid in both glasses. He handed one to William. "Drink," he said forcibly.

William didn't accept the proffered beverage, frowning. "I gave _him_ nothing to take the pain away," he said softly, his face somber. "Why should I?"

Adam's eyes hardened. "Dammit William, _don't_. Do not get all brave and stupid right now. We've all done things we're not proud of. _Ravindra_ is going to make you do more. We're on the precipice of war and this prisoner could save our asses with whatever the hell he's doing to keep the Zeo power locked up. You are going to help draw this thing out as far as it can go. The longer it takes for the Lady to get the power, the better it will be for us. So _drink_, and get some fire back in your bones. This isn't over."

Adam grabbed William's shoulder and forced the drink into his hand. The physician reluctantly met Adam's soft brown eyes. They were burning with a drink-this-or-die look. So William brought the glass to his lips and drank, feeling the liquid burn as it flowed down his throat and pool into his belly. His stomach convulsed in queasiness for the briefest moment before the warmth spread and calmed the reflexes. A few gulps later, his glass was empty. Adam steered him onto his bed, refilling both of their glasses with hearty portions. They drank in silence for a few minutes, allowing time for the alcohol to fuzz the brain and melt away tense muscles.

Without a word, Adam slid behind William and kneeled up on the bed. He placed his hands on William's shoulders and began massaging the neck and shoulders. The physician let out a low groan of appreciation, drooping his head and willingly surrendering to the ministrations. The massage, combined with the whiskey, were taking the edge off.

William stuffed away the feeling of guilt at how much he wanted and needed this. Adam was right, alcohol was doing the trick. He needed fire in his bones. He didn't have room for self-pity or doubt. The stakes were too high. Their lives were on the line every second of every day. If they slipped, the rebellion would lose tremendous advantage inside enemy territory.

"I think I know why she isn't able to command the power yet," William muttered, breaking the peaceful silence. True or not, he needed to bounce this idea around.

"And?" Adam prompted, digging into a particular stubborn knot of muscle.

William groaned. It was the kind of pain that felt wonderful. Adam had magic fingers. "There's a third person involved."

The hands stilled for a moment, then continued. "That's what Ravindra thinks too."

William brought his head up, shocked. Ravindra wouldn't have addressed her thoughts to Adam. "How do you know that?"

"Overheard her yelling to the prisoner before Satch took over my post."

"What did you hear?"

"She was demanding to know how exactly he was brought back to life. Couldn't exactly hear what the guy said, but something to the effect that it was someone else's Zeo power that did it. She questioned who the other person was, but the guy wouldn't say. He took a fair beating before he said yes when asked if the person was a lover. That was it. She stormed out of there, then Missy showed up with the food. I placed it in the cell and left when Satch came."

William sighed, eyeing his empty glass of whiskey. He wanted more, but a hangover wouldn't help him in the morning. He rubbed at his eyes, shrugging off Adam's magical fingers. His mind was whirring away with a million thoughts.

Adam pulled at William, coaxing the physician to lie down, then shifted so they were lying side by side. Adam propped his head up with one arm and stared at William. "What are your thoughts, oh genius?"

William rolled his eyes. "I am not a genius."

Adam smirked. "Whatever. Spill the beans."

William stared at the ceiling, taking a few moments to gather his thoughts. Finally he spoke. "The third person is the key. This woman – the prisoner's lover— is the missing piece to the puzzle."

Adam's brows furrowed. "How?"

"The Zeo power probably belonged to the lover initially." Adam's eyebrows shot up in surprise. William nodded. "Jason revealed as much to me after Byron's death. I was alone with him afterwards, remember?" he began to explain. Adam inclined his head in affirmation. "He'd mentioned the power belonged to someone else. At the time, though, that wasn't important, because that was when he told me of the power bringing him back to life. That held more significance."

Adam shrugged. "So why does that information make a difference now?"

William rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Because now I know that person is a lover."

Adam's expression turned puzzled. "Still not seeing why that makes a difference."

"Her Zeo power brought Jason back to life because they were in love. "

The puzzled expression didn't change. "And?" Adam prompted when there was no further explanation.

William couldn't help the smile that sprung to his lips. He looked over at Adam, reaching for the man's hand and bringing it up to kiss.

Adam still looked confused, but he smiled warmly at the gesture.

"Love is a power all on its own," William explained. "It can do mighty things, like bond with another force such as the Zeo power to bring someone back to life. I would wager that the lover still possesses the Red Zeo power."

"Wait a second," Adam interrupted, pulling his hand away and sitting up. "That couldn't be right. Jason possesses it. It can't belong to two separate people. You said it yourself, Jason is infused with it because of coming back to life. It's his."

"And it is also the lover's," William said knowingly, joining Adam in sitting upright.

Adam's brows furrowed. "But. . ."

"Love," William supplied. "The power of love bonded with the Zeo power. This woman used her power to bring Jason back to life. She didn't give it up. It's still with her, and she can probably command it, unlike Jason, who hasn't shown any signs of being able to wield the Zeo force for himself."

"But," Adam repeated, thinking intently. "Ravindra has managed to bond herself to it, and I've seen for a fact that the Zeo power is inside of Jason. It's come out of him."

"Yes, but why then can Ravindra not manage to claim the power entirely for herself? Why can she not command it yet? Why does Jason still possess it?" William pressed.

Adam remained quiet for a moment, rapidly thinking. "Because," he started slowly. "Of the lover somehow?"

"Yes," William confirmed. He paused a moment, cupping his chin and thinking through his thoughts before continuing. "The power is still housed inside of her as well. Her love bonded Jason's life force to the Zeo power, and to her. He lives because of them. Jason's life essence is infused with it. But he can't command it, because it was only shared with him. The Zeo power wasn't given up or transferred."

Adam's eyes widened. He looked like he had been hit with a freight train. "And Ravindra. . .?"

"She's bonded with it, but she will not truly be able to command the Zeo power and complete the transference she created with her spell as long as the lover still possesses it."

"Then why isn't the lover here? Why did Ravindra's spell just call in Jason? He's not who she really needs."

William smiled slyly. "Who's to say she isn't here?"

"Well. . . "Adam shrugged. "She didn't show up."

"We didn't know to look for two people," William countered. "Ravindra didn't even know to look for _one._ A corporeal being like Jason holding the power was a complete surprise."

"So you're saying that she's here somewhere too."

William nodded. "Yes. The question is, where? And how far away?"

Adam's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "Holy shit, William," he breathed out with awe. "I hope to god you're right about all of this. Can you imagine the time this buys us?"

William nodded. "Provided this woman isn't hiding somewhere inside The Keep, yes, this would be a great advantage to us. Ravindra won't gain true possession until she has both Jason and his lover. And if Sorcha brings back welcoming news, the odds could be in our favor."

Adam's mouth split into a wide grin. He reached over and cupped William's face with both hands. "You are _such_ a genius, Will!"

William rolled his eyes and was about to object when Adam leaned in and planted a firm kiss on his lips. It sparked an immediate fire that fused with the burning fuzz from the whiskey. He didn't want to admit how much he needed this kind of comfort from his partner, but he more than obliged as Adam's kiss deepened. Mouths opened, breathing intermixed with one another, and passion fueled.

Hands started to grapple with clothing as hormones drove them to urgency. This kind of opportunity wasn't available as often as William wanted. So when time allowed them to be on their own and do as they pleased, they snatched up every second they could to be together. _Really _be together.

Shirts were now discarded and Adam was working on unfastening William's breeches, mouths hungrily devouring each other.

That's when a particular memory wormed its way into William's mind.

His eyes snapped open and he pulled away, muttering against Adam's pursuing lips, "Wait a minute, wait."

"Not gonna happen," Adam mumbled, leaning forward and recapturing William's lips, the breeches successfully unfastened now. Those hands roamed low.

"It isn't a woman," William murmured, trying again to pull away.

"Good riddance," Adam replied distractedly, pursuing William's mouth and failing. Those warm brown eyes finally snapped open, regarding William with puzzlement. He sighed when he saw the all-too-familiar look of fierce concentration on the physician's features. He relinquished the placement of his hands and rested them impatiently on his thighs.

"What is it, Will?" Adam asked impatiently.

Soft blue eyes stared intently at Adam. "You really heard the prisoner admit to this third person being a lover?"

Adam nodded, his brows furrowing at the question. "Had my ear right up to the door. Both Rand and I heard it," he confirmed.

William cupped his chin, thinking deeply. "It isn't a woman," he repeated softly.

"What do you mean?" Adam inquired, baffled.

"When the prisoner spoke to me. . ." William began slowly. He paused, closing his eyes and settling his mind on that moment.

"_It's not like that," Jason answered softly. "It wasn't really mine. It belonged to. . ." he stopped suddenly, eyes growing wide. _

"_What is it?" William prompted when the prisoner didn't continue. _

_Jason stared forward, seemingly forgetting about William's presence. "Tommy," he breathed out in a whisper._

_That completely baffled William. "Tommy?"_

_Jason nodded, staring off into space. "It was his Zeo power that brought me back to life. I hope to God he wasn't brought here too."_

William opened his eyes, confusion and disbelief written across his face.

"What did the prisoner say, Will?" Adam prompted.

William stared into his partner's eyes, almost afraid to speak it. "He said. . ."

Adam raised his eyebrows impatiently. "Spit it out, Smarts!"

William blinked, took a deep breath, and dove in. "He said Tommy. He said it was Tommy's Zeo power that brought him back to life. He hoped Tommy wasn't brought here too."

As comprehension slowly sunk in, Adam's eyes opened as wide as saucers. "Ho-ly _shit_," he enunciated slowly. "Are you _sure_ about that?"

William nodded. "Yes."

Adam whistled. "That would mean—"

"The lover isn't a woman," William finished.

Adam shifted off of the bed and reached for the whiskey, pouring himself a glass. He drank deeply before responding. "How right do you think you are about all of this?"

William stared at his hands which were propped on his bent knees. "Fairly certain," he mumbled.

Adam poured another glass of whiskey and handed to William who accepted it wordlessly.

"If Ravindra finds out –"

"She _will_ find out," William interrupted bleakly. "It's inevitable."

Adam nodded. "She'll have a field day with the prisoner when that time comes, then. _But_," he emphasized. "That information doesn't change things. It just. . ." he stopped, at a loss for words.

"Makes the prisoner much more relatable?" William supplied, smiling sadly.

Adam opened his mouth to reply, but a sudden rap at the window caused both men to turn around. There, at the window sill sat Sorcha, tapping on the glass with her beak.

William abandoned his untouched glass of whiskey to his bedside table and rushed to let Sorcha into the room. Opening the pane, the raven hopped onto William's extended arm as he brought her inside. He stroked her feathers, looking her over for any signs of injury. With relief, there were none. He reached into his pants pocket where he always kept a few of her favorite seeds handy, and withdrew a handful. Sorcha nibbled at them straightaway while Adam worked to unfasten the note attached to her leg.

He unfolded it and stepped next to William, angling it so they both could read at the same time.

_We have been informed of this man who houses the Zeo power. There is a man with us, identical in appearance to me. He claims to come from this same alternate universe and knows about the one that is with you. Sunshine is a name to test this theory. He exhibits signs of the Zeo power and has pledged to help our cause. It will be a great advantage, though he fights to rescue the one from his universe. Has the Lady succeeded in her goal? We will reach the location within a fortnight. Unexpectedly delayed. – T.O._

William dumbfoundedly looked up into the wide eyed face of his partner. They exchanged expressions of shock.

"Holy shit, Smarts," Adam breathed in awe. "I'd say your hunches are right."

"I guess we now know where the lover ended up," William replied softly, his heart hammering away. Was that a good or bad thing for this lover to be so close to the Crusaders? As long as Ravindra never suspected, it could very well be a huge advantage. . . until the Crusaders brought the war to The Keep. Then the Lady would have all of the tools at her disposal, and she could really fight fire with fire.

"He has to stay away," William whispered, more to himself than to Adam.

Adam nodded somberly. "Ka-boom," he supplied.

A loud knock sounded at the door, making both men jump.

"Physician," came the loud voice of one of the Royal Guard. It sounded like Gibson.

Adam and William exchanged alarmed glances as the doorknob began to turn. Adam dove under the bed as William hastily began walking toward the door.

"Coming!" he hollered.

Thankfully that stopped the premature opening of the door. William cast a quick glance behind him to ensure Adam was safely hidden. He was nowhere in sight, however his soldier's garb was scattered all over the floor.

Crap.

William grabbed the doorknob and opened it just wide enough to peak through. He was right, it was Gibson. Tall, broad shouldered, forever-pissed-off Gibson. "What was so important you felt you needed to walk on in?" William inquired irritably.

Gibson's beady eyes stared at him with condescension. They flitted down to William's breeches and took note of their open nature. William grabbed sourly at them and fixed a stern look into that pointed face. "Well?" he prompted impatiently.

"The Lady requests your presence," came his deep, gravelly voice.

William suppressed a sigh. Of course she did. "I'll be right there," he muttered, closing the door before Gibson could formulate a reply.

He quickly strode over to the bed and gathered up his clothing Adam had flung around in their too-brief moment of respite. The Lady was most likely wanting to discuss how to get around the latest obstacle in possessing the Zeo Power.

"It's poker time," Adam's muffled voice sounded from his hiding place under the bed. "Don't give her any cards she's looking for," he advised.

William grimaced, shoving his white shirt over his head before he realized that it was Adam's. He quickly threw it off. "I will give her _exactly_ what she's looking for," he muttered as he reached for his own shirt.

"William," Adam's voice hissed in warning.

The physician bent over and stared at the dark form of his partner. "She knows about the _lover_, right?" He whispered impatiently. "So a female lover is what I will help her find when she reveals that to me. I know nothing more."

There was a flash of white teeth that showed amidst the dark shadows. "Brilliant," Adam breathed out.


End file.
